ro^T^i 


INA  RGSSETTI 


1  • 

^^^^H^!_  ;!  : 

v''!:Ia 

■  1 

^H^ 

-  ;-;^^ 

r-     ' 

1 

I 


?R0SSE'rfi 


■  :iPc:r-7<;f^-:-r-'^'-^>^ 


»       library'' 


University  of  California. 


Class 


y 


The   Family  Letters 

of 

Christina  Georgina   Rossetti 


The  Family  Letters 

of 

Christina  Georgina  Rossetti 

With  some  Supplementary  Letters 
and  Appendices 


Edited  by 

William  Michael  Rossetti 


She  stands  there  patient,  nerved  with  inner  might, 

Indomitable  in  her  feebleness, 

Her  face  and  will  athirst  against  the  light. 


II      ^     OF  THE 

f   UNIVERSITY 

OF 

NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1908 


G£.Ke/{/i, 


Richard  Clay  &  Sons,  Limited, 

bread  street  hill,  e.c.,  and 

bungay,  suffolk. 


PRSZ3& 
As 


THESE    LETTERS 

BY 

CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI 

ARE  INSCRIBED  BY  HER  BROTHER  TO  THE 

MEMORY   OF    OUR   MOTHER 

TO  WHOM    HER   OWN   BOOKS  WERE 
CONSTANTLY  DEDICATED 


196509 


PREFACE 


The  object  aimed  at  in  this  volume  is  to  present  a  selection  from 
the  family-letters  of  Christina  Georgina  Rossetti,  supplemented  by  a 
very  few  letters  of  hers  addressed  to  persons  out  of  the  family,  and 
by  a  quite  moderate  number  of  those  addressed  to  herself — as  for 
instance  by  her  brother  Dante  Gabriel.  The  total  number  of  letters 
now  extant,  addressed  to  herself,  is  truly  small ;  for  throughout  her 
life  her  ordinary  practice  was  to  destroy  such  missives  as  soon  as 
read  and  answered.  On  the  other  hand  it  seems  probable  that  a 
very  considerable  number  of  letters  written  by  herself  to  a  variety  of 
persons  are  still  in  being ;  for  she  was  a  highly  punctual  corre- 
spondent, and,  from  an  early  period  of  her  life,  there  were  many  who 
regarded  her  with  predilection,  and  who  thought  her  likely  to  do 
something  of  note,  and  it  may  be  surmised  that  several  of  these  have 
preserved  what  she  wrote.  To  letters  of  this  miscellaneous  kind  I 
have  not  had  access,  save  in  the  rarest  instances,  and  therefore  the 
present  collection  is  practically,  though  not  absolutely,  limited  to 
family-correspondence. 

Some  readers  will  probably  think  that  I  have  admitted  into  my 
volume  various  letters  the  interest  of  which  is  extremely  slender.  As 
to  this  I  can  only  say  that,  slender  or  not,  they  appear  to  me  admis- 
sible, as  tending  to  define  and  complete  the  picture  of  my  sister's 
mind  and  feeUngs ;  also  that  I  have  excluded  many  letters — perhaps 
a  good  deal  more  than  the  number  here  given — which  I  acknowledge 
to  be  (more  or  less)  below  the  requisite  standard  for  publication. 
From  the  letters  here  printed  I  have  omitted  a  large  number  of 
passages  which  the  public  could  obviously  not  care  for :  and  this 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

although  it  seems  to  me  that  letters  read  better  when  uncurtailed, 
even  if  some  portions  of  them  may  have  very  little  to  plead  for 
themselves. 

Are  the  letters,  taken  as  a  whole,  interesting  or  uninteresting  ? 
Do  they  relate  to  important  or  to  unimportant  matters  ?  Of  this  I 
must  leave  the  reader  to  judge.  My  own  view  is  that  Christina 
Rossetti,  by  her  work  in  poetry  and  authorship,  made  herself  interest- 
ing to  a  great  number  of  persons  ;  and  that  anything  which  tends  to 
show  forth  her  genuine  self,  her  personality  and  tone  of  mind  and 
feeling,  cannot  therefore  be  totally  insignificant.  Nothing  could 
evince  these  more  perfectly  than  her  family-letters  do.  I  am  certain 
that  I  here  set  before  readers  a  beautiful  and  lovable  character  ;  and, 
as  this  is  the  character  of  a  person  widely  cherished  for  her  writings, 
and  even  intensely  valued  by  many  lovers  of  poetry  and  many  re- 
ligious devotees,  I  await  with  some  confidence  the  verdict  which  may 
be  passed  upon  my  compilation. 

The  correspondence  in  my  collection,  belonging  to  the  earlier 
period  of  Christina's  life,  is  rather  scanty,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
eighteen  of  her  letters,  of  dates  ranging  from  1845  to  1854,  are  now 
the  property  of  her  sympathetic  biographer  Mr.  Mackenzie  Bell,  and 
are  thus  not  at  my  disposal ;  moreover  two  or  three  of  her  family- 
letters,  of  later  date,  have  been  published  in  Mr.  Bell's  book. 
Besides  all  these,  the  letters  by  my  sister  printed  in  the  Rossetti 
Papers,  1862  to  1870  (Sands  &  Co.,  1903),  and  (with  one  exception) 
those  addressed  to  her  by  Dante  Rossetti  included  in  the  volume  of 
his  Family-Letters  (Ellis,  1895),  are  not  reproduced  in  the  present 
collection. 

It  will  be  found  that  literary  matters,  and  also  religious  convictions, 
form  an  element  in  the  correspondence  here  published.  By  far  its 
chief  constituent  however  is  family  affection,  of  which  the  warm  glow 
can  be  felt  incessantly  renewed  throughout.  It  is  mingled  with  a 
constant  tone  of  courteous  considerateness,  and  even  definite  polite- 
ness, more  than  one  would  consider  essential  in  family-letters  ;  for 
Christina — as  I  have  had  occasion  to  say  elsewhere — was  rather  punc- 
tiliously polite  from  her  early  girlhood  onwards,  and  she  saw  no 
occasion  for  stinting  this  quality  to  members  of  her  family,  while  she 


PREFACE  ix 

gave  it  in  full  measure  to  other  people.  Brightness  as  well  as  ever- 
present  depth  of  feeling  is  vividly  apparent,  along  with  many  neat, 
sprightly,  and  engaging  turns  of  expression. 

I  am  conscious  that  every  now  and  then  the  letters  contain  some 
phrase  not  only  of  affection  but  likewise  of  commendation  to  myself 
— what  I  was  or  what  I  did.  If  I  ought  to  have  cut  out  these 
passages,  I  must  apologize  for  leaving  them  in.  My  motive  for  so 
doing  is  too  obvious  to  bear  exposition.  To  have  earned,  or  to 
have  received,  the  praise  of  such  a  woman  as  Christina  Rossetti,  is  a 
thing  which  no  man  would  prefer  to  hide  under  a  bushel.  Apart  from 
the  personal  and  predominant  motive  for  leaving  these  passages  on 
record,  it  may  truly  be  said  that  the  excision  of  them  would  have 
diminished  the  completeness  of  the  self-portrait  which  my  sister  has 
presented  in  these  letters ;  for,  if  she  loved  other  members  of  her 
family,  she  assuredly  loved  me  as  well. 

I  have  not  thought  it  needful  to  reproduce  in  type  the  signatures 
to  the  letters,  and  the  subscribing  words.  The  signature  is  almost 
invariable,  "  Christina  G.  Rossetti,"  but  in  a  very  few  instances  there 
are  only  initials.  Of  the  subscribing  words,  the  most  usual  is  "  Your 
affectionate  sister  " ;  every  now  and  then  something  more  marked 
occurs  :  "  Your  most  grateful  loving  sister — Your  dismal  sister — 
Truly,  as  well  I  may  be,  your  affectionate  sister — Lovingly  your  sister 
— Affectionately  your  old  sister — Your  unchangeable  affectionate 
sister  " — and  the  like. 

When  I  produced  the  complete  Poetical  Works  of  Christina  Rossetti 
in  1904,  I  wrote  a  compendious  Memoir  of  her  uneventful  and 
rather  secluded  life.  I  have  no  mind  to  go  over  the  same  ground 
now  in  the  same  sort  of  way  :  but,  in  order  to  supply  a  guide  to  the 
reader  as  to  the  main  stages  in  the  career  which  the  letters  indicate 
in  a  more  or  less  scattered  form,  I  append  here  a  list  of  dates  and 
occurrences. 

1826,  April.     Gabriele  Rossetti,  a  political  exile  from  the  kingdom 

of  Naples,  a  poet,  literary  man,  and  professor  of  Italian,  with  his 

Anglo-Italian  wife,  Frances  Mary  Lavinia  (Polidori),  settled  in  No. 

38  Charlotte  Street,  Portland  Place,  London,  now  called  No.   no 
b 


X  PREFACE 

Hallam  Street.  A  memorial  disk  for  Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti  has 
recently  been  set  up  on  this  house :  it  ought  to  include,  but  does 
not,  Christina  Georgina  Rossetti. 

1830,  December  5.  Birth  of  Christina  in  the  above  house,  follow- 
ing the  births  of  Maria  Francesca,  Dante  Gabriel,  and  William 
Michael.  She,  like  the  other  children,  was  baptized  in  the  English 
Church. 

1836,  January.     The  family  remove  to  No.  50  Charlotte  Street. 

1842,  April.  Christina  writes  her  first  verses,  a  birthday  address 
to  her  mother. 

1847.  -^  booklet  of  her  Verses  is  privately  printed  by  her  grand- 
father, Gaetano  Polidori. 

1848,  September.  Formation  of  the  Prseraphaelite  Brotherhood, 
or  P.R.B. 

1848,  Autumn.  James  CoUinson,  a  painter  and  member  of  the 
P.R.B.,  originally  belonging  to  the  English  Church  but  now  a 
Roman  Catholic,  proposes  marriage  to  Christina.  She,  being  reluc- 
tant to  marry  a  Roman  Catholic,  declines. 

1848,  ?  November.  CoUinson  re-enters  the  English  Church, 
renews  his  proposal  to  Christina,  and  is  accepted. 

1850,  January  to  May.  Christina  pubUshes  various  poems  in 
T/ie  Germ  :  her  first  publications,  save  for  two  pieces  in  The 
AthencBum. 

1850,  ?May.  CoUinson  reverts  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  Christina  cancels  her  engagement  to  him. 

185 1,  January.  The  family  remove  to  No.  38  Arlington  Street 
(now  merged  in  Arlington  Road),  Mornington  Crescent,  and  Chris- 
tina acts  as  assistant  to  her  mother  in  a  day-school  there. 

1853,  Spring.  Mrs.  Rossetti  goes  with  Christina  toFrome,  Somer- 
set, to  set  up  another  day-school.  Later  on  Gabriele  Rossetti  joins 
them,  the  rest  of  the  family  remaining  in  London. 

1853,  April  and  December.  Deaths  in  London  of  Mrs.  Rossetti's 
parents,  Anna  Maria  and  Gaetano  Polidori. 

1854,  April.  I  take  a  house  for  the  whole  family  except  Dante 
Gabriel — 45  Upper  Albany  Street,  now  166  Albany  Street. 

1S54,  April  26.     Death  of  Gabriele  Rossetti  in  this  house. 


PREFACE  xi 

1 86 1,  February.  Christina  publishes  in  Macmillan^ s  Magazine  a 
poem,  Uphill,  which  secures  a  good  deal  of  attention. 

1 86 1,  Summer.  Christina's  first  foreign  trip  with  her  mother  and 
me.     Paris,  Coutances,  and  other  parts  of  Normandy. 

1862.  She  brings  out  her  first  published  volume,  Goblin  Market 
ajid  other  Poems. 

1862.  She  now  begins  to  see  pretty  frequently  Charles  Bagot 
Cayley,  a  scholar,  author,  and  linguist,  translator  of  Dante's  Divitia 
Commedia,  Szc,  whom  she  may  have  first  met  in  1847.  She  falls  in 
love  with  him. 

1865,  Summer.  Christina's  second  and  last  foreign  trip,  again  with 
her  mother  and  me,  through  France,  over  Mount  St.  Gothard,  into 
Italy — Pavia,  Verona,  &c. :  back  by  the  Spliigen  Pass,  Schaffhausen, 
&c. 

1866,  June.  She  brings  out  her  second  published  volume,  77ie 
Prince's  Progress  and  other  Poems. 

1866,  ?  Summer.  Cayley  proposes  marriage  to  Christina,  and  she 
would  gladly  accept  him  :  but  on  some  religious  ground,  apparently 
that  he  is  not  a  Christian  of  an  orthodox  type,  she  declines  the  offer. 

1867,  June.  My  mother  and  two  sisters,  with  myself,  remove  to 
No.  56  Euston  Square,  afterwards  called  No.  5  Endsleigh  Gardens. 

1870,  Christina  brings  out  her  first  prose-volume,  Commonplace, 
and  other  Short  Stories.  This  was  followed,  1874  to  1892,  by  seven 
other  prose  volumes,  the  last  being  The  Face  of  the  Deep,  a  Devo- 
tional Commentary  o?t  the  Apocalypse.  Five  of  them  were  published 
by  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge. 

187 1,  April.  After  various  other  illnesses,  beginning  towards  the 
age  of  fifteen,  Christina  is  prostrated  by  a  very  dangerous  malady, 
exophthalmic  bronchocele,  or  Dr.  Graves's  disease.  Many  months  of 
suffering  ensue,  and  several  crises  of  peril ;  but  the  illness  gets 
tolerably  subdued  by  the  summer  of  1873. 

1872,  June.  Dante  Gabriel  falls  into  a  bad  state  of  health,  which 
continues,  in  one  phase  or  another,  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Christina  publishes  another  volume  of  poems  (for  children),  Singsong. 

1873,  Summer.  Maria  Rossetti  becomes  a  novice,  and  afterwards 
a  professed  sister,  in  All  Saints'  Sisterhood  (Anglican),  London. 


xii  PREFACE 

1874,  March.  I  marry  Lucy  Brown.  We  continue  living  in 
No.  5  Endsleigh  Gardens,  along  with  my  mother  and  Christina. 

1876,  October.  They  two  remove  to  No.  30  Torrington  Square, 
along  with  my  mother's  two  sisters,  Charlotte  and  Eliza  Polidori. 

1876,  November  24.     Death  of  Maria. 

1 88 1,  Summer.  Christina  publishes  another  volume,  A  Pageant 
and  other  Poems. 

1882,  April  9.  Death  of  Dante  Gabriel  at  Birchington-on-Sea, 
near  Margate,  after  Mrs.  Rossetti  and  Christina  had  been  nursing 
him  for  several  weeks. 

1885,  December  5.     Charles  Cayley  dies  in  London. 

1886,  April  8.     Death  of  our  mother,  Frances  Rossetti. 

1890,  January.  Death  of  Charlotte  Polidori,  who,  as  well  as 
Eliza  Polidori,  had  continued  living  in  the  same  house  with 
Christina. 

1892,  May.  Christina,  being  pronounced  to  be  suflfering  from 
cancer  on  the  left  side  of  the  chest,  undergoes  a  severe  operation. 

1893,  June.     Death  of  Eliza  Polidori. 

1893,  September.  Publication  of  Christina's  last  volume,  J^erses, 
being  a  collection  of  the  various  pieces  of  poetry  scattered  through 
her  volumes  previously  issued  by  the  Society  for  Promoting  Chris- 
tian Knowledge. 

1894,  April  12.  Death  at  San  Remo  of  Lucy  Rossetti,  Christina's 
sister-in-law. 

1894,  December  29.  The  cancer  having  recurred,  complicated 
by  dropsy  in  the  left  arm,  Christina,  after  being  confined  to  bed  for 
more  than  four  months,  dies  at  No.  30  Torrington  Square.  Buried 
in  Highgate  Cemetery. 

Besides  the  letters  by  Christina  which  form  the  substance  of  this 
volume,  along  with  the  few  samples  of  letters  addressed  to  her,  I  add 
in  an  appendix : 

I.  Extracts  from  my  Diaries,  187 1  to  1895,  relating  to  Christina. 
I  regret  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  extracts  should  have  to  do 
with  illnesses  which  affected  my  sister  from  time  to  time,  and  not  with 
her  literary  or  other  interests.     Many  entries  about  illnesses  have, 


PREFACE  xiii 

however,  been  omitted,  as  only  going  over  the  same  cheerless  ground 
again  and  again. 

2.  Extracts  from  a  Diary  kept  by  Christina  from  1881  to  1886. 
This,  as  the  wording  shows,  purports  to  be  the  diary  of  Mrs.  Rossetti, 
our  mother ;  but  my  sister,  acting  on  her  behalf,  was,  with  a  few 
exceptions  in  the  earlier  dates,  the  real  writer  of  the  diary,  so  far  as 
handwriting  is  concerned,  and  no  doubt  the  composition  or  diction 
is  often  hers  as  well. 

Wm.  M.  Rossetti. 

London,  April  1907. 


CONTENTS 


Preface 


PAGE 

vii 


LETTERS   WRITTEN    BY   CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI 


Gabriele  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 


Frances  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 


Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


DATE 

26  June            1843 

I 

23  November  1848 

2 

25  August        1S49 

4 

.       31 

6 

8  September     ,, 

8 

•        19 

10 

.       26 

II 

8  August         1850 

12 

14 

13 

3  September     ,, 

14 

.       28  July              1851 

16 

23  August           ,, 

18 

•       29 

19 

28  April            1853 

22 

13  November  1855 

23 

18  August         1858 

25 

25  October       1861 

26 

December    1864 

28 

II  September  1S66 

29 

April            1870 

31 

February     1871 

32 

.       28  April 

33 

CONTENTS 


William  Michael  Rossetti 


Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Lucy  Brown  (Rossetti)  . 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
Oliver  Madox  Brown    . 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 


Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 

Lucy  Rossetti 

Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 


28  July  1871 

I   September     ,, 

10  June  1872 

31  August  ,, 

5  September     ,, 

28  April  1S73 

17  June 

10  July 


5  November  ,, 

4  May  1874 

15      „ 

22  June  ,, 

2j      )>  j> 

28  September  ,, 

1  October  ,, 

5  November  ,, 

20  June  1875 
II  August  ,, 
17 

>>  )) 

September  ,, 

21  ,,  ,, 
30  November  ,, 
14  December  ,, 
22 

January  1876 
18  July 

2  August  ,, 
September  ,, 


9  October 


CONTENTS 


xvu 


William  Michael  Rossetti 

>>  )> 

Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 

>»  >> 

»>  >» 

William  Michael  Rossetti 


Frederic  J.  Shields 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
Lucy  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 

»»  )> 

William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 

»)  >» 

Olivia  Rossetti  (Agresti) 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


DATE 

14  October  1876 

27  M 

24  November  ,, 
21  December  ,, 

1  January  1877 
12  March  ,, 

6  August  ,, 
15 

30        „ 

II  October  ,, 

December  , , 

15  March  1878 
April  ,, 
June  ,, 
August  , , 

21       ,, 

17  September  ., 
January  1879 

Summer  ,, 
21  July 

25  „ 

18  August  ,, 
21  October  ,, 
17  December  ,, 

2  April  18S0 

27  „ 
May 

16  July 

20     „  ,, 

9  August  ,, 

14  M 

6  September    ,, 

29  December  ,, 

1  January  i88x 

28  April  ,, 

2  May  „ 


xvm 


CONTENTS 


Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
Lucy  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 

i>  » 

Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 


Lucy  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

i>  >> 

Lucy  Rossetti 
William  Michael  Rossetti 
Charles  Bagot  Cayley  . 
William  Michael  Rossetti 


.     26 

July             1881 

4 

August          ,,    , 

9 

„    • 

5  September     ,, 

24 

,,                    M 

19 

October          ,, 

21 
•       30 

November      , , 

2 

December      ,, 

21 

>)             )> 

23  January        1882 

2 

February        , , 

8 

»»             >> 

•        19 

., 

.       27 

» 

4 

March            ,, 

8 

14 

17 

24 

.       28 

•       30 

5 

April 

.       17  July 

.      26 

J)                                   M 

.      28 

)»                                   l» 

Autumn               , , 

7 

December      ,, 

.       26 

February     1883 

.       29 

June                ,, 

16 

J"iy 

19 

,. 

•       23 

,, 

•       30 

„ 

6 

August           ,, 

II 

,, 

■       '5 

)>              )> 

CONTENTS 


TO 

DATE 

Lucy  Rossetti 

22  August 

1883 

>i           »>            •           • 

24 

)> 

Frederic  J.  Shields 

11  December 

)» 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

15 
17 

28  August 

1884 

2  September 

>> 

3 

.. 

23 

,. 

10  June 

1S85 

Lucy  Rossetti 

1 1  January 

1886 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

19 

„ 

Lucy  Rossetti 

,, 

,, 

II            >'             •           ■ 

16  February 

„ 

>)           )>             .           .           . 

4  March 

M 

,,           „             .            .           . 

5        >. 

». 

„           „             .            . 

2  April 

>> 

5>                          5>                             •                         • 

19       >. 

.. 

,1                         ,,                             •                         • 

21       ,, 

M 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

18  May 

,, 

>>                   J) 

20  August 

>> 

>>                   »» 

6  October 

., 

>»                    »> 

13  January 

1887 

Lucy  Rossetti 

25 

,, 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

5   February 

,, 

„ 

10         ,, 
21          ,, 
28 

" 

Lucy  Rossetti 

21   March 
Summer 

" 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

8  May 

1888 

Lucy  Rossetti 

June 

,, 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

5  July 

I  October 

" 

»j                    »» 

10  December 

,, 

Lucy  Rossetti 

13 

>J 

Helen  Rossetti  (An(;eli) 

. 

)) 

XX 


CONTENTS 


TO 

Mary  Rossetti 

Olivia  Rossetti  (Agresti) 

Gabriel  Arthur  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

Lucy  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 


Lucy  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

Lucy  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

>>  I) 

Lucy  Rossetti 


William  Michael  Rossetti 

Lucy  Rossetti 

William  Michael  Rossetti 


DATE 

PA 

December    1888             .             .       i 

14  February     1889 

•       26 

20  June               ,, 

I   October          ,, 

15  November      ,, 

22  January        1890 

26  March             ,, 

6  December      ,, 

8 

9  March          1S91 

.        16        „ 

.       23  April 

4  July 

26  August            ,, 

28  December      ,, 

18  February     1892 

20  March            ,, 

))         t>                >» 

20  May               ,, 

•       23      „ 

30  June              „ 

•     13  July 

19     .. 

17  August            ,, 

9  November     ,, 

•       29 

30  December      ,, 

2  January       1893 

8  February        ,, 

10  March             ,, 

13  April 

•               19             M 

2  June                ,, 

4  October           ,, 

7 

William  Michael  Rossetti 


CONTENTS 

xxi 

DATE 

PAGE 

II   October 

1S93 

198 

4  December 

„ 

199 

24 

,, 

200 

29 

„ 

201 

26  March 

1894 

202 

2  April 

)> 

202 

9 

M 

203 

iS       „ 

„ 

204 

21  June 

„ 

205 

10  August 

>> 

205 

LETTERS   ADDRESSED   TO   CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI 


Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti 

4  August        1852 

20 

>>                    >> 

July             1862 

27 

»j                    >» 

22  May             1879 

78 

»>                    »> 

13  January        1881 

92 

„ 

15  February     1882 

105 

Frances  Rossetti 

19  August         1870 

32 

Charles  Eagot  Cayley  . 

2  September  1868 

30 

>»                   >> 

2  January        1877 

65 

j>                   »» 

4  September  1878 

76 

>»                   >> 

6  November  18S1 

lOI 

Maria  Francesca  Rossetti 

14  July              1876 

56 

Rev.  Dr.  Littledale 

7  February      1878 

72 

Frederic  J.  Shields 

16  December   1883 

141 

Ford  Madox  Brown 

30  April           1882 

117 

Lady  Mount-Temple 

13  May 

117 

)»                   i> 

31  January        1S83 

122 

Algernon  C.  Swinburne 

7  June 

125 

,,                             >y 

17  November  1884 

147 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

18  July              1883 

128 

>>                   >> 

10  August           ,, 

132 

xxii  CONTENTS 

BY                                                                                                      DATE  TACE 

SoPHiK  Cayi.ey      ...         7  December  1S83             .             .        138 

Professor  Caylev            •            •        9          >>  ..              •            •       139 


APPENDIX 

1.  Extracts  from  the  Diaries  of  William  Michael  Rossetti,  1S71-95       207 

2.  Extracts  from  a  Diary  kept  by  Chkistina  Rossetti  on  behalf  of  her 

Mother,  1881-6  .......       222 

Index  of  Names         ........       235 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

To  face  page 

CHRISTINA  GEORGINA  ROSSETTI       ....       Frontispiece 
From  a  Tinted  Crayon  Drawing  by  Dante  Rossetti,  1877. 

CHRISTINA   GEORGINA   ROSSETTl'S   BIRTH-HOUSE      ....  I 

SKETCH   BY  DANTE  GABRIEL  ROSSETTI 21 

FACSIMILE   FROM   ROSSETTl'S   LETTER 22 

DANTE,   CHRISTINA,    FRANCES,    AND   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI             .           .  29 

FROM   PENCIL  DRAWINGS   BY   CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI           ...  45 

FRANCES   M.  L.  ROSSETTI 84 

CHARLES   BAGOT  CAYLEY  I42 

THE  GRAVE-CROSS   OF  DANTE  ROSSETTI 1 44 

FACSIMILE  OF  A  POEM   BY  CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI      ....  2o6 

THE  HOUSE   IN   WHICH   CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI   DIED          .          .           .  222 


ClIRI.SMNA    GkOUCIXA    Rl).sSl.rir>    lilRMl-llOL'SE. 

110  Hallani  Street,   Portlanil  Place;  formerly  38  Charlotte  Street. 
Photograph  taken  in  1908. 


[  To  face  /.  i. 


^     OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY 

cr 


THE    FAMILY   LETTERS 


OF 


CHRISTINA   GEORGINA   ROSSETTI 


To  Gabriele  Rossetti,  Hastings  (translation). 

[This  is  the  earliest  letter  by  Christina  extant  in  the  family.  The 
original  is  in  Italian,  and  was  (as  she  says)  only  the  second  letter 
which  she  had  ever  indited  in  that  language,  her  age  at  this  date 
being  twelve  and  a  half.  She  apologizes  for  blunders,  which  are 
tolerably  numerous,  but  not  such  as  to  affect  the  sense.  She  must 
have  written  various  letters  in  English  before  this  time,  yet  by  no 
means  many. — Mr.  Leader  was  Mr.  John  Temple  Leader,  a  radical 
M.P.  who  lived  to  a  great  age,  dying  near  Florence  in  1903.  He 
had  taken  of  late  much  interest  in  Gabriele  Rossetti's  health,  which 
was  then  gravely  shattered,  and  which  had  driven  him  to  Hastings 
for  relief — soon  afterwards  to  Paris.  Mr.  Rovedino  was  a  musician, 
a  family-friend  ;  he  was  a  sprightly  man,  indulging  in  small  jocularities, 
at  which  Christina  appears  to  glance.  Dr.  Adolf  Heimann  was  the 
Professor  of  German  in  the  London  University  College,  and  was  in 
all  those  years  a  very  affectionate  friend  to  all  of  us.  Mr.  Parodi  was 
our  dancing-master :  an  estimable  and  in  several  respects  sensible 
man,  who  spoke  a  curious  lingo,  compounded  of  Italian,  English, 
and  whatsoever  else.  The  postscript  (written  by  Christina  in  English), 
saying  that  Gabriel  had  gone  to  Austin  Friars,  refers  to  the  cashing 
of  a  cheque,  or  some  such  matter.] 
I 


2  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

\ 

[50  CHARLOTTE  STREET,  I'ORTLAND  PLACE,  LONDON'.] 

id  June  1S43. 

Dearest  Papa, 

I  hope  you  will  excuse  all  the  blunders  which  I  make  in 
this  letter,  and  that  you  will  recollect  that  this  is  only  (I  think)  the 
second  letter  that  I  ever  wrote  in  Italian. 

Yesterday  Mr.  Leader  came,  and  asked  how  long  you  expected  to 
remain  at  Hastings.  William  replied  that  he  believes  that,  if  the 
place  does  you  good,  you  had  spoken  of  remaining  some  two  months. 
He  had  not  been  gone  a  minute  when  Mr.  Rovedino  entered,  and  he 
asked  when  you  had  gone  off;  and  then,  sending  you  his  salutation, 
and  saying  some  other  things  which  are  not  worthy  of  insertion  in 
this  epistle,  he  left. 

On  Saturday  Dr.  Heimann  came  ;  and  he  speaks  of  taking  Gabriel 
and  William  for  a  walk,  and  asks  to  be  remembered  to  you  and  mamma. 

Maria  sends  her  love  ;  Aunt  Margaret  sends  the  same.  Also  Mr. 
Parodi  sends  you  his  respects.  And  I,  thanking  mamma  for  her 
letter,  and  sending  the  love  of  Aunt  Margaret  and  Maria  and  myself 
to  mamma  and  Aunt  Charlotte,  sign  myself  Your  &c. 

Gabriel  has  gone  to  Austin  Friars. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Pleasley  Hill,  Notts. 

[At  the  date  of  this  letter  Christina  was  engaged  to  marry  James 
CoUinson,  a  painter  and  member  of  the  Prasraphaelite  Brotherhood ; 
and  I,  along  with  CoUinson,  had  gone  to  pay  a  visit  (it  proved 
to  be  my  only  one)  to  Mrs.  and  Miss  CoUinson,  the  mother  and 
sister  of  my  friend,  living  at  Pleasley  Hill,  near  Mansfield  and 
the  site  of  Sherwood  Forest.  "  The  celebrated  portrait "  is  a 
small  oil-portrait  of  Christina  then  recently  painted  by  CoUinson, 
and  now  in  my  possession ;  so  far  from  being  "  flattering,"  it  does 
not  do  justice  to  her  face,  though  fair  enough  as  a  likeness.  The 
quotation,  "drinking  deep-throated  of  the  life  of  life,"  comes  from 
one  of  the  numerous  bouts-ritnes  sonnets  which  I  wrote  in  those 
years ;  and  the  reference  to  "  snobbishness "  indicates  that  I  had 
been  reading  to  the  CoUinson  ladies  from  Thackeray's  Book  of 
Snobs,  a  prime  favourite  in  our  family. — Mrs.  Charles  CoUinson 
was  the  wife  of  James  CoUinson's    elder   brother,  a    BookseUer   in 


1848— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  3 

business  at  Mansfield.  "  A  real  live  castle "  was  recommended 
to  me  because  I  had  begun  some  blank  verse  concerning  a  castle  : 
the  piece  was  eventually  published  in  The  Germ,  but  I  may  probably 
have  had  some  idea  of  offering  it  to  The  Atheficeum,  of  which  Mr. 
T,  K.  Hervey  was  Editor.  The  banter  about  chiaroscuro  &c.  refers 
to  some  very  faint  and  unpromising  attempts  I  was  then  making  to 
see  whether  I  could  do  anything  in  the  way  of  drawing.] 

50  CHARLOTTE   STREET,    PORTLAND    PLACE,    LONDON. 

23  November  1848. 

Dear  William, 

The  postman's  knock  this  morning  made  evident  a  most 
humiliating  state  of  my  own  mind,  for,  though  not  sufficiently 
philosophical  to  regret  the  arrival  of  your  letter  to-day,  I  was  quite 
enough  of  a  baby  to  mourn  over  my  losing  that  pleasure  to-morrow, 
when  I  had  calculated  upon  receiving  it.  From  all  this  you  will 
draw  the  conclusion  that  your  hint  of  a  second  communication  must 
quite  have  consoled  me,  and  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  my  thanks 
both  for  performance  and  promise. 

Permit  me  to  paraphrase  the  beginning  of  your  note.  "After  a 
journey  spent  in  pointing  out  to  the  commiseration  of  my  fellow 
passengers  the  unsound  state  of  my  mind  as  more  particularly 
developed  at  various  Railway  Stations,  I  am  securely  housed."  It  is 
a  real  comfort  to  think  that  this  is  the  case. 

I  had  fancied  Mrs.  CoUinson  the  very  reverse  oiprim  ;  but,  as  you 
conjecture,  kind-hearted.  I  am  glad  you  like  Miss  Collinson,  but 
have  a  notion  that  she  must  be  dreadfully  clever.  Is  either  of  these 
ladies  alanning?  not  to  you,  of  course,  but  would  they  be  so  to  me  ? 
I  wish  that  they  could  be  convinced  that  the  celebrated  portrait  is 
flattering,  and  that  "  the  thoughtful  and  pleasing  expression  "  of  my 
face  is  indeed  "  as  developed  in  the  portrait."  You  probably  not 
only  profusely  banqueted  but  surfeited  your  victims  with  my  poetry ; 
but  in  this  you  may  not  have  been  the  sole  culprit.  I  dare  say 
that  your  astonished  hostesses  are  drinking  "  deep-throated "  of 
snobbishness,  which,  in  one  sense,  may  be  called  "  the  life  of  Hfe."  All 
I  have  to  recommend  is  that,  when  you  have  concluded  the  Europeein 
work  that  treats  thereof,  you  do  not  begin  again.  Though  not  very 
deeply  versed  in  the  rules  of  social  etiquette,  I  should  imagine  that 


4  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

your  introduction  to  any  amount  of  acquaintances  were  quite 
parliamentary.  Pray  in  your  next  give  me  a  detailed  account  of 
Mrs.  Charles  CoUinson  and  baby. 

But  for  my  superiority  to  all  mean  passions  I  might  envy  you  your 
delightful  country-walks.  Do  not  forget  that  in  the  present  stage  of 
your  literary  malady  a  real  live  castle  is  highly  to  be  recommended. 
Perhaps  when  you  are  backed  by  tumbling  battlements,  moss-grown 
stones,  and  such  like,  Mr.  T.  K.  Hervey  will  be  compelled  to 
capitulate.  I  had  imagined  "  the  house "  too  neat  to  be  very 
comfortable ;  and  was  troubled  with  "  a  foreshown  agony "  of 
windows  kept  open  in  winter.  (N.B.  You  must  not  consider  me 
responsible  for  the  correctness  of  my  own  quotations.)  Perhaps  if 
you  were  not  in  company  with  an  artist  I  might  follow  up  my  N.B. 
by  a  very  emphatic  hand  pointing  a  long  way  round  the  corner  ;  as 
it  is,  you  must  either  do  without  one,  or  sketch  it  in  yourself,  with 
that  masterly  touch  and  intimate  knowledge,  not  to  say  perfect  com- 
mand of  chiaroscuro,  which  all  your  works  display.  From  his  name, 
I  imagine  the  bull-terrier  to  be  hideous  enough  for  even  my  taste. 
If  his  manners  have  not  a  soup^ofi  of  the  savage  tinging  their 
cordiality,  doubtless  we  might  be  excellent  friends.  .  .  . 

Pray,  if  you  think  it  expedient,  present  my  respects  to  Mrs. 
Collinson  and  love  to  Miss  C  Why  I  have  left  off  calling  the  latter 
Mary  is  not  easily  explained  except  on  the  score  of  feeling  awkward. 
Mamma  sends  her  love.  Will  you  remember  me  most  particularly 
to  Mr.  Collinson  ?  In  the  firm  faith  that  this  overgrown  epistle  must 
elicit  a  reply,  I  am  &c. 

Is  your  address  written  rightly  ? 


To  William  Rossetti,  London. 

[It  will  be  observed  that  this  letter  was  written  from  Pleasley 
Hill,  Christina  being  on  a  visit  there  to  Mrs.  and  Miss  Collinson  : 
James  Collinson  was  not  present — I  think  not  even  for  a  day.  Mr. 
[John]  Orchard  was  a  painter  of  very  infirm  physique,  who  died  in  the 
following  year  :  he  contributed  to  The  Germ  a  Dialogue  on  Art  of 
some  marked  interest,  and  one  or  two  poems.  His  "  most  peculiar 
criticism  on  Gabriel's  picture,"  The  Girlhood  of  Mary  Virgin,  was  I 
think  in  a  private  letter  addressed  to  Gabriel,  not  as  yet  personally 


i849— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  5 

known  to  him.  *'  His  two  sonnets  "  on  the  same  theme  are  in  my 
possession,  and  excessively  bad  they  are,  considered  as  sonnets  or  as 
verse.     The  first  begins 

"  Musing,  not  seldom  to  my  eye  of  mind  "  : 

the  second, 

"  Thy  guileless  modesty  of  soul  full  sure." 

"  Sol,"  named  by  Christina,  was  a  dog  : — "  My  dreary  poem  " 
would  appear,  judging  from  dates,  to  have  been  Three  Nuns. — "  The 
Kings "  were  a  family — father,  mother,  and  three  daughters  well 
grounded  in  the  ancient  classics — whom  I  knew  through  the  introduc- 
tion of  Mr.  Alfred  Chaworth  Lyster :  the  father  conducted  a  school 
of  good  repute  in  the  Maida  Hill  district :  a  son  of  Charles  Dickens 
was  seen  by  me  as  a  boarder  there.  Mr.  Lyster,  besides  being  a 
colleague  of  mine  in  the  Inland  Revenue  Office,  was  nephew  of  our 
old  family-friend  Mr.  Thomas  Keightley.  "  As  I  lay  a-thinking  "  is 
a  pathetic  poem  by  Barham,  author  of  The  Ingoldsby  Legends. — 
"  Hannibal  Fitch  "  receives  some  explanation  (if  he  requires  it)  in  an 
ensuing  letter. — "  Any  two  of  my  brethren  "  would  obviously  be 
Dante  Gabriel  and  CoUinson. — Mr.  Holman  Hunt  was  thinking  of 
visiting  Paris,  and  in  the  early  autumn  he  did  so  in  company  with 
Dante  Rossetti.] 

PLEASLEY   HILL. 

[25  August  1849.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  did  see  Mr.  Orchard's  most  peculiar  criticism  on  Gabriel's 
picture  :  but  is  it  possible  you  would  have  expected  the  author  of 
such  prose  to  excel  as  a  poet?  If  you  are  in  a  very  charitable 
humour  you  will  send  me  a  copy  of  his  two  sonnets,  your  account 
of  which  excites  my  curiosity ;  also  a  notice  of  Gabriel's  excursipn  to 
Greenwich,  should  it  take  place.  Though  my  visit  here  is  extremely 
tolerable,  still  the  postman  is  quite  an  event  in  my  existence ;  and 
Sol  is  my  other  sol-ace.  Quite  equal  to  Punch.  The  period  of  my 
return  home  appears  altogether  doubtful ;  so  you  need  not  make 
yourself  uneasy  yet  awhile.  I  have  only  had  one  walk  since  my 
arrival ;  but  hope  for  a  second  to-day,  as  I  am  getting  strong  and  hearty. 

Neither  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Charles  has  yet  appeared ;  but  I  cannot 
count  on  this  continuing.  Local  converse  wearies  me  somewhat ; 
yet  this  advantage  it  possesses — I  cannot  join  in  it ;  so  may,  during 


6  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

its  continuance,  abandon  myself  to  my  own  meditations.  My  dreary 
poem  is  not  completed,  but  a  few  appropriate  stanzas  have  been 
added  since  my  leaving  town.  You  will  easily  believe  that,  whatever 
other  merit  it  lacks,  it  possesses  unity  of  purpose  in  a  high  degree. 

The  talk  of  beaus  is  as  perpetual  here  as  at  Mrs.  Heimann's  : 
however,  fewer  jokes  (?)  have  been  passed  on  me  than  might  have 
been  anticipated  ;  and  of  these  Mary  is  entirely  innocent.  Do  you 
know,  I  rather  like  Mary ;  she  is  not  at  all  caressing,  but  seems  real. 
Do  you  ever  see  the  Kings  ?  news  of  them,  or  of  the  Brotherhood, 
or  of  anything  else,  thankfully  received.  Apropos  of  receiving,  would 
you  be  so  kind  as  to  let  me  have  at  your  convenience  "  As  I  lay 
a-thinkinge "  ?  In  my  desperation  I  knit  lace  with  a  perseverance 
completely  foreign  to  my  nature.  Yesterday  I  made  a  dirt-pudding 
in  the  garden,  wherein  to  plant  some  slips  of  currant.  The 
unbusinesslike  manner  in  which  the  process  was  gone  through 
affords  every  prospect  of  complete  failure.  Ah  Will !  if  you  were 
here  we  would  write  bouts-rimes  sonnets,  and  be  subdued  together. 
Mary  has  told  me  a  capital  story  of  three  bears,  with  which  I  may 
perhaps  solace  you  on  my  return ;  you  will  stand  in  need  of  some 
comfort. 

From  Mansfield  on  to  Pleasley  I  had  for  travelling  companion  a 
very  correct  Titmarsh-looking  man.  In  one  of  the  railway-carriages 
was  a  young  man  the  very  image  of  Hannibal  Fitch  when  he  was 
superlatively  riled.  Do  you  recollect  the  portrait  of  that  individual 
as  he  appeared  in  the  condition  above  alluded  to  ? 

Love  to  Papa,  Mamma,  ALiria,  and  any  two  of  my  brethren  you 
choose  to  select,  from  Your  &c. 

Has  Mr.  Hunt  vacated  London  for  Paris  ? 


To   WiLLIAlM    ROSSETTI. 

[As  the  letter  implies,  the  sonnet  here  appended  was  a  bouts-rimes 
affair  written  to  rhymes  supplied  by  me.  I  wrote  a  sonnet  (but  it 
need  not  be  reproduced)  to  the  rhymes  which  Christina  forwarded. 
These  rhymes  begin  with  the  word  "rose,"  and  end  with  "hence,'' 
and  I  do  not  identify  them  as  pertaining  to  any  of  Christina's  "old 
things." — The  words  "your  first  Thought"  relate  to  The  Germ,  the 
proposed  title  of  which  was  at  this  date  Thoughts  toivards  Nature. 


1849— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  7 

The  "  rabid  chartist "  who  was  expected  to  contribute  to  that 
magazine  must  have  been  William  North  (mentioned  at  some  length 
in  my  book  of  Reminiscences)  :  he  did  not  in  fact  contribute.  Then 
another  expected  contributor  is  alluded  to,  and  the  epithet  "  Bliss- 
ful "  ensues  :  this  was  a  Mr.  Bliss,  son  of  an  eminent  barrister ;  but 
he  also  did  not  contribute. — Arthur  Gordon  Pym  will  be  recognized 
as  the  title  of  one  of  Edgar  Poe's  most  impressive  tales. — "  C.  C."  is 
Charles  Collinson,  whom  Christina  had  ere  this  seen  once  in  London  : 
he  was  not  much  to  the  taste  of  any  of  us. — The  suggestion  that  I 
might  "  fail  to  decipher  this  "  refers  to  the  fact  that  that  closing  part 
of  the  letter  was  "crossed."  Otherwise  the  suggestion  would  have 
been  absurd,  for  Christina's  handwriting  was  of  the  clearest  and 
neatest  conceivable.] 

[PLEASLEY   HILL. 

31  August  1849.] 

My  dear  William, 

Many  thanks  for  "As  I  lay,  &c."  To  your  rhymes  I  have 
written  a  rather  intense  sonnet,  which  cannot  miss  your  approbation. 
The  notion  of  life  turning  to  mtist  is  not  hackneyed.  On  the  back 
are  some  rhymes  for  you  to  fill  up ;  they  belong  to  one  of  my  old 
things. 

"  Have  you  forgotten  "  Mr.  Hannibal  Fitch  in  Thackeray's  Punch's 
review  of  one  year's  Exhibition  ?  There  was  a  portrait  of  him.  I 
long  to  see  your  first  Thought.  That  such  a  magazine  as  yours 
will  be  clever  is  beyond  a  doubt,  but  you  must  excuse  my  joining 
one  which  numbers  among  its  contributors  a  "  rabid  chartist,"  and 
one  "who  thinks  of  nothing  but  politics"  and  "the  negation  of 
religion."     Your  plan  is  far  too  Blissful  for  my  taste. 

Arthur  Gordon  Pym  must  be  beyond  measure  interesting  ;  I  hope 
to  see  it  on  my  return.  Mary  desires  me  to  kindly  remember,  or 
something  of  the  sort,  "us"  to  you.  To-morrow  she  and  I  go  to 
Mansfield  :  she  prophesies  my  being  2i  favourite  with  C.  C.  on  account 
of  my  unalterable  self-possession.  Fancy  the  inflated  state  in  which 
I  shall  re-enter  London,  should  this  flattering  preference  result  from 
my  visit.  .  .  .  Though  this  is  anything  but  an  equivalent  for  your 
last  delightful  letter,  I  must  hope  that  you  will  charitably  consider  it 
in  that  light,  and  continue  your  epistolary  favours  to  your  corre- 
spondent, believing  her  to  be  ungrateful  o?ily  in  deed  and  not  in  will. 


8  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

There  are  four  unanswered  notes  awaiting  my  attention,  and  unable 
to  obtain  it  this  morning.  Still  I  cannot  endure  the  idea  that  I  may 
be  losing  some  possible  communications  through  neglect.  Besides 
these  four  impending  answers  I  much  wish  to  write  to  Aunt 
Charlotte,  not  having  done  so  since  leaving  town ;  still  justice  must 
take  precedence  of  generosity.  Assuring  you  that  if  you  fail  to 
decipher  this  you  lose  nothing  (which  implies  an  acted  bull,  for 
the  assurance  is  no  more  legible  than  the  rest,)  I  remain  &:c. 

So  I  began  my  walk  of  life  ;  no  stop 

Was  possible  ;  or  else  iny  will  was  frail  ; 

Or  is  it  that  the  first  stumblings  entail 

Weakness  no  after  strength  has  power  to- prop  ? 

The  heart  puts  forth  her  boughs  ;  and  these  we  lop 

For  very  wantonness  ;  until  the  gale 

Is  rank  with  blood  ;  then  our  life-portions  fail 

And  we  are  fain  to  share  another's  sop. 

At  first  my  heart  was  true  and  my  soul  true, 

And  then  the  outside  world  believed  me  false.  ' 

Therefore  my  sweets  grew  bitter,  and  I  thrust 

Life  back,  till  it  stood  still  and  turned  to  must. 

Yet  sometimes  through  the  great  stagnation  calls 

Of  spirits  reach  me  :  is  it  so  with  you  ? 

To   AViLLIAM    ROSSETTI. 

[My  proposed  "  pleasant  excursion  "  was  with  James  CoUinson  to 
the  Isle  of  Wight;  hence  the  reference  to  "bathing"  towards  the 
close  of  the  letter.  We  went  together  to  Cowes  and  elsewhere,  and, 
after  Collinson's  return  to  London,  I  was  at  Ventnor. — The  "  puzzle  " 
which  terminates  the  letter  strikes  me  as  a  very  easy  one  to  solve  :  it 
must  run — "  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  Hyde  Park  Corner,  Piccadilly."] 

MANSFIELD. 
8  September  1849. 
My  dear  William, 

In  the  first  place  let  me  wish  you  a  pleasant  excursion  next 
week,  and  petition  for  an  occasional  continuance  of  your  epistolary 
favours.  To-day  Miss  CoUinson  and  self  return  to  Pleasley;  so  I 
anticipate  having  more  time  for  the  carrying  on  of  my  extensive 
correspondence.  Quite  contrary  to  my  expectations,  I  have  greatly 
enjoyed  my  Mansfield  visit;  and  but  for  certain  toilet-difficulties 
should   be  very  happy  to  prolong   it.     Mrs.  Charles  is  delightful ; 


i849— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  9 

the  most  to  my  taste  of  any  one  I  have  met  down  here  :  her  sister 
too,  Carrie  Maltby,  seems  a  nice  girl. 

Yesterday  evening  we  spent  with  the  Fosters  .  .  .  Miss  Rosanna 
sang  sosoishly ;  and  Mr.  Foster  went  to  sleep  in  a  coat  more  usually 
seen  in  morning  private  life  than  at  a  soiree.  Will  you  give  Mamma 
my  warmest  thanks  for  her  darling  letter,  which  I  trust  to  answer 
very  shortly ;  also  my  very  best  love  ;  also  will  you  tell  her  that,  if 
any  one  is  devoted  enough  to  see  about  sending  it,  the  portfolio 
should  be  directed  to  me  at  Pleasley  Hill,  and  that  I  should  very 
much  like  to  have  it,  as  a  ring  cannot  be  offered  a  person  who  never 
wears  one  ? 

I  had  mentioned  to  Mary  the  sweet  prettiness  of  "As  I  lay  a- 
thinkinge  : "  but  she  does  not  appreciate  it ;  at  least  not  as  we  do. 

The  must  to  which  my  life  has  turned  is  the  substantive.  You 
cannot  imagine  the  grief  which  filled  me  on  learning  that  you  could 
answer  Yes  to  anything  connected  with  my  sonnet :  yours  is  less 
bad,  but  also  less  uncommon.  Have  you  yet  received  ocular  demon- 
stration of  the  existence  of  H.  Fitch?  I  am  perfectly  convinced 
that  he  is  not  only  an  empty  name.  I  still  entertain  a  dreamy  hope 
of  seeing  Mr.  Orchard's  sonnets  through  your  kind  agency :  if  I 
wait  to  make  their  acquaintance  till  my  return  home,  the  probability 
is  that  they  will  never  meet  my  longing  eyes. 

When  you  are  in  the  country  on  no  account  neglect  bathing :  be 
a  little  less  lazy  than  on  occasion  of  our  last  year's  stay  at  Brighton  : 
and  do  not  forget  that  the  succulent  Abernethy  should  precede  your 
matinal  dip.  You  see  I  am  turning  quite  into  an  old  nurse.  Did 
you  play  at  chess  with  C.  C.  when  you  were  down  here  ?  We  are 
tolerably  equal :  he  has  conquered  once  oftener  than  myself,  but  I 
won  the  last  game. 

Will  you  give  my  love  to  Papa,  Maria,  and  Gabriel?  In  a  P.S. 
I  will  put  a  curious  puzzle  for  your  torture ;  I  only  succeeded  in 
deciphering  the  first  line.     Wishing  you  better  success,  I  remain  &c. 

An  English  .gentleman  asked  a  French  one  for  a  London  address, 
and  received  this  : 

Sarumfre  De  Vie, 
Hippocana, 

Piquet  de  lait. 


CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti,  Veninor. 

[The  affairs  of  James  CoUinson  were  regarded  as  "unpromis- 
ing" chiefly,  I  think,  on  the  gromid  that  his  pictures  did  not 
sell :  it  may  be  also  that  his  sister  was  aware  that  he  was  not  un- 
likely to  return  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  which  would  have 
been,  and  in  fact  it  was,  fatal  to  the  engagement  between  him  and 
Christina.  Park  Village  was  the  residence  of  our  grandfather  Polidori 
and  his  family.] 

[50   CHARLOTTE   STREET,    LONDON. 

19  September  1849.] 

My  dear  AVilliam, 

Last  night  we  saw  Mr.  CoUinson,  who  gave  us  your  address, 
and  this  at  length  enables  me  to  answer  your  last  note.  I  have  not 
yet  filled  up  your  rhymes,  but  still  hope  to  do  so ;  only  I  will  not 
delay  writing  till  the  inspiration  comes. 

Let  me  congratulate  you  on  the  retirement  of  Messrs.  North  and 
Bliss  from  your  literary  concern  :  without  them  it  appears  to  me  to 
have  more  prospect  of  success.  Many  thanks  for  Mr.  Orchard's 
sonnets  :  your  comment  on  them  is  not  too  severe ;  but  there  is  a 
good  feeling  about  them  ...  By  the  by  I  have  not  told  you  all  this 
time  that  I  came  home  on  Monday,  after  exactly  a  month's  stay  in 
Notts.  From  all  acquaintances  there  I  have  received  unvarying  kind- 
ness and  hospitality ;  on  your  return  you  will  probably  witness  (not 
watch)  the  progress  of  a  piece  of  work  of  which  I  hope  some  day  to 
beg  Mrs.  Charles'  acceptance.  I  have  already  given  Miss  CoUinson 
my  Nice  portfolio,  so  need  not  on  that  account  hesitate  to  make  my 
next  present  where  I  like.  .  .  . 

My  correspondence  with  Mary  CoUinson  has  come  to  an  end  by 
her  desire.  Do  not  imagine  we  have  been  quarrelling  :  not  at  all :  but 
she  seems  to  think  her  brother's  affairs  so  unpromising  as  to  render 
our  continuing  to  write  to  each  other  not  pleasant.  Does  not  this 
sound  extraordinary  ?     We  are  all  much  surprised. 

Yesterday  I  called  in  Park  Village ;  to-day  I  hope  to  visit  Mrs. 
Heimann,  but  rather  dread  this  interview  for  very  natural  reasons. 

Mamma  wishes  me  to  give  you  her  love ;  and  to  say  that  she  will 


i849— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  ii 

not  write  to-day  as  I  am  doing  so,  but  contemplates  doing  so  soon. 
Time  fails ;  so  with  Mrs.  CoUinson's  respects  (this  really  was  the 
message)  I  remain  &c. 

I  shall  have  much  to  talk  about  on  your  return  :  my  visit  was  very 
pleasant  for  some  reasons,  but  not  exclusively  so.  In  haste,  good- 
bye. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Ventnor. 

["The  Potters"  were  a  family  that  we  had  known  ever  since  early 
childhood  ;  Mr.  Cipriani  Potter  being  the  Principal  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music,  and  my  godfather  to  boot. 

The  proposal  of  bestowing  the  title  The  P. R.B.  Journal  upon  the 
magazine  which  was  ultimately  named  The  Germ  did  not  come  to 
effect.  I  think  the  suggestion  was  soon  dropped  by  my  colleagues 
in  London,  and  I,  the  appointed  Editor,  was  not  in  its  favour.] 


50  CHARLOTTE  STREET,  LONDON. 

[26  Sepiciiiber  1849.] 

Dear  William, 

Gabriel,  being  pressed  for  time,  has  commissioned  me  to 
write  as  follows. 

You  need  not  hasten  your  return  home  on  account  of  the 
magazine,  as  the  prospectus  can  wait.  You  already  know  all 
the  contributions  except  Mr.  Stephens';  which  is  at  present  on 
divers  scraps,  in  a  highly  chaotic  state.  Mr.  Hunt's  etching  is  in 
two  compartments ;  the  first  represents  Mr.  Woolner's  man  and 
woman  gathering  flowers  by  the  water-side;  the  second,  the  man 
throwing  himself  on  the  woman's  grave.  These  are  all  his  messages, 
to  the  best  of  my  remembrance  .  •  . 

Your  bouts-rimes  is  one  of  the  best  you  have  written :  my  own 
has  fared  very  much  better  than  its  intrinsic  value  merits.  My 
overwhelming  business  consists  of  nothing  more  important  than 
needle-work  and  such  like. 

Maria  and  self  passed  yesterday  very  pleasantly  with  the  Potters. 
You  really  should  visit  them  on  your  return  :  they  are  so  friendly,  so 
pressing  to  see  you ;  besides   Henry  is   very  nice,  and   might  very 


12  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

probably  suit  your  taste  as  well  as  mine.  He  is  nothing  at  all  of 
your  abomination  a  boy,  though  only  sixteen. 

I  have  heard  of  The  Saint's  Tragedy  from  Mr.  CoUinson. 
Whether  he  will  be  at  the  Heimanns'  to-morrow  I  know  not. 
Mamma  sends  her  love. 

P.S.  Mrs.  Potter  ardently  desires  to  borrow  the  Snobs,  and  you 
are  to  take  it  her  some  evening. 

P. P.S.     From  Gabriel. 

Several  are  thinking  of  calling  it  the  P.  R.  B.  Journal.  Think 
maturely  and  write  result  at  once  to  Stephens.  You  need  not 
hasten  back,  as  he  will  manage  till  your  return.  All  communications 
are  to  be  addressed  to  him. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Excise  Office. 

[Christina  here  alludes  to  various  small  points,  applicable  to 
Brighton,  with  which  she  and  I  had  been  familiar  when  there 
together  in  1848.  There  was  somebody  whom  we  had  called 
"  Riba,"  which  is  the  name  of  a  marauding  personage  in  the  drama 
of  The  Miller  and  his  Men,  familiar  to  us  in  childhood  through  the 
medium  of  Skelfs  Theatrical  Characters  and  otherwise. — If  I  was  at 
this  date  thinking  of  going  to  France,  I  gave  up  the  intention,  and 
went  instead  to  Edinburgh  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne  :  did  not  reach 
France  (Paris)  until  1853. — "The  execution"  refers  to  a  small 
matter  which  I  have  mentioned  elsewhere — the  seizure  of  Dante 
Gabriel's  goods  in  a  house  in  Newman  Street,  where  he  rented  a 
studio,  owing  to  the  levanting  of  his  landlord,  a  dancing-master :  he 
was  not  himself  in  any  arrears  of  rent. — The  reference  to  CoUinson 
and  his  picture  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  shows  that  by  this  date 
Christina  had  ceased  to  be  in  personal  relations  with  CoUinson. 
Their  engagement  had  been  broken  off  at  some  such  date  as  May 
or  June  1850,  owing  to  his  having  reverted  from  the  Anglican  to  the 
Roman  Church.] 

34   WEST   STREET,    BRIGHTO.V. 

[8  August  1850.] 
My  dear  William, 

Seized  with  my  usual  longing  for  news,  I  as  usual  resort  to 
you  ;  somewhat  ashamed  indeed  of  the  empty  letter  system,  yet  not 
enough  to  make  me  give  it  up. 


1850— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  13 

Yesterday  walking  up  Western  Street  I  recognized  the  familiar 
shop  of  Pratt,  Hairdresser ;  and  the  neat  abode  of  Humphry  where 
Mangleing  is  done.  The  other  evening  I  am  convinced  I  saw  Riba 
on  the  beach,  but  have  not  yet  discerned  "  our  nose." 

Do  you  still  think  of  going  to  France  in  your  holiday  ?  Wishing 
is  foolish,  but  I  could  almost  wish  you  to  be  content  with  some 
place  in  England.  I  suppose  I  shall  be  back  before  your  expedition, 
but  if  not  do  not  forget  to  send  me  your  then  address  :  however  the 
utmost  limit  of  our  absence  will  probably  be  the  completion  of 
the  month.  How  does  Gabriel's  studio  business  proceed?  I  was 
much  surprised  to  hear  of  the  execution. 

Have  you  seen  the  St.  Elizabeth  lately?  and  do  you  yet  know 
what  is  to  be  done  with  the  figure  of  the  old  woman  whose  position 
was  not  liked  ?  Whilst  I  am  here,  if  you  can  manage  without  too 
much  trouble,  I  wish  you  would  find  out  whether  Mr.  CoUinson  is 
as  delicate  as  he  used  to  be :  you  and  Gabriel  are  my  resources,  and 
you  are  by  far  the  more  agreeable. 

I  direct  this  to  the  Excise  that  Mamma  may  not  know  of  it.  Do 
not  be  shocked  at  the  concealment ;  this  letter  would  not  give  her 
much  pleasure.  Do  have  patience  both  with  the  trouble  I  occasion 
you  and  with  myself.  I  am  ashamed  of  this  note,  yet  want  courage 
to  throw  it  away ;  so  must  despatch  it  in  its  dreary  emptiness  with 
the  sincere  love  of  Your  &:c. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Christina  was  not  quite  correct  in  surmising  that  Collinson's 
picture  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  "must  be  very  beautiful":  it 
was  however  meritorious  up  to  a  certain  point. — As  to  her  writing 
"  two  or  three  scraps,"  I  find  only  two  poems  of  hers  which  are  dated 
about  this  time ;  they  are  Annie  in  September,  and  St.  Elizabeth  of 
Hungary  in  November. — Mrs.  Sortain  was  a  lady  married  to  a 
dissenting  minister  of  much  note  as  a  preacher :  she  was  a  member 
of  one  of  the  families  in  which  my  mother  had  been  governess — the 
Macgregor  family.] 


14  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


34    WEST   STREET,    BRIGHTON. 

14  August  1S50. 

My  dear  William, 

Many  thanks  for  the  news  your  letter  contains,,  though  you 
do  not  seem  to  consider  it  much. 

Gabriel's  position  appears  not  particularly  pleasant ;  but,  if  his 
whereabouts  is  to  be  kept  secret,  pray  do  }iot  let  me  have  his  address. 
Mr.  Brown  appears  invariably  kind. 

Thank  you  for  the  St.  Elizabeth  news  :  it  must  be  very  beautiful. 
Is  it  intended  to  be  ready  for  ne.xt  Exhibition  ?  I  quite  wish  to  see 
it,  and  examine  into  all  its  beauties.  I  conclude  you  may  not 
improbably  come  in  :  has  some  one  yet  been  found  for  St.  Elizabeth's 
future  mother-in-law? — I  think  her  name  was  Sophia.  But  from 
what  you  say  it  would  seem  that  St.  Elizabeth  herself  is  to  be 
painted  from  the  same  head  as  one  of  her  maids  of  honour :  is  this 
the  case  ?     I  hope  not.  .  .  . 

I  have  written  two  or  three  scraps,  none  of  which  may  very 
likely  be  finished.  We  have  not  set  cognizant  eyes  on  a  single 
speaking  acquaintance,  and  altogether  our  days  and  nights  and  days 
go  by,  bearing  a  considerable  resemblance  between  themselves.  We 
called  on  Mrs.  Sortain  yesterday,  who  has  very  goodnaturedly  lent 
us  books,  with  the  offer  of  more  as  wished  for.  I  have  got  the  first 
volume  of  Layard's  Nineveh,  and  Maria  a  Life  of  Crabbe  and  some 
book  on  China ;  I  will  not  tell  you  how  much  I  have  read  of  my 
borrow. 

Maria  unites  with  me  in  love  to  Papa,  Mamma,  and  Brothers. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Edinburgh. 

["  Mr.  Cayley "  was  Mr.  Charles  Bagot  Cayley,  who  at  a  much 
later  date  than  this  proposed  marriage  to  Christina.  At  present  he 
was  known  to  us  as  a  pupil  of  my  father  for  Italian,  and  as  author 
of  the  beginning  of  a  MS.  translation  of  Dante's  Divina  Comtnedia, 
afterwards  completed  and  published.  I  got  some  specimens  of  it 
published  in  the  weekly  review  entitled  The  Critic  (named  towards 
the  close  of  Christina's  letter).— What  the  "  unhappy  little  fragment" 


1850— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  15 

may  have  been  I  know  not :  I  presume  it  was  some  verse  written  in 
the  tone  of  despondency  or  life-weariness  not  unusual  with  Christina. 
— Priscilla  Townsend  was  a  member  of  a  large  family  well  known  to 
us,  not  in  affluent  circumstances,  who  all  emigrated  at  this  date  to 
Canterbury  Settlement,  New  Zealand :  some  of  them  still  are,  or 
recently  were,  in  that  dominion. — About  the  "Scotch  beggar,"  I  have 
some  faint  recollection  that  such  a  personage  in  Edinburgh  handed 
me  some  verses,  professedly  of  his  own  composition  :  the  verses  them- 
selves have  vanished  from  my  memory. — Mr.  (Benedetto)  Sangiovanni, 
by  profession  a  modeller  of  picturesque  figures  in  clay  &c.,  was  an 
old  family-friend  of  ours,  held  in  much  regard,  who  had  recently 
quitted  London  for  Brighton:  the  "small  clay  dog  "is,  I  suppose, 
the  same  which  remained  with  Christina  up  to  her  death,  and  which 
is  now  mine.  The  "busto  romano"  is  unknown  to  me.  "Mr. 
Ciocci,"  whom  it  is  said  to  have  resembled,  was  an  Italian  with  a  very 
insignificant  but  prettyish  face  :  one  of  those  disfrocked  priests  who 
beset  my  father  in  these  years,  teasing  him  (with  overmuch  success)  to 
write  anti-catholic  tirades  and  expositions.  We  did  not  ourselves 
know  any  particular  harm  of  Ciocci :  but  it  is  a  fact  that,  not  long 
after  this  date,  he  was  tried  and  convicted  at  Brighton  for  something 
much  in  the  nature  of  housebreaking. — Mr.  (Filippo)  Pistrucci  was, 
like  Sangiovanni,  a  family-friend  who,  leaving  London,  had  settled 
at  Brighton :  he  lived  by  teaching  Italian,  and  was  also  a  painter. — 
The  review  in  The  Guardian  of  Art  and  Poetry  {The  Germ)  was,  if  I 
remember  right,  written  by  Coventry  Patmore,  not  at  the  solicitation 
of  the  writers  concerned  therein.] 


50  CHARLOTTE  STREET,    PORTLAND   PLACE     LONDON. 

3  September  1850. 

My  dear  William, 

To  commence  with  the  one  useful  sentence  of  my  letter : 
will  you  in  your  next  let  us  know  whether  you  have  yet  received  Mr. 
Cayley's  MS.  translations  from  Dante,  which  we  posted  for  you  last 
Saturday  ? 

In  Mamma's  letter  allusion  was  made  to  one  I  wrote  you  from 
Brighton,  which  arrived  on  the  day  of  your  departure.  As  a  whole 
it  was  not  perhaps  a  peculiarly  interesting  document :  but  it  contained 
an  unhappy  little  fragment  which  so  totally  disgusted  Mamma  that 
I  very  speedily  made  away  with  it. 


i6  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

One  evening  Priscilla  Townsend  called  to  take  leave  of  us  before 
quitting  England,  and  left  her  remembrances  for  my  brothers.  Poor 
girl,  she  seemed  somewhat  depressed  as  the  time  for  departure  drew 
near.  I  think  of  writing  to  her  sometimes,  which  cannot  fail  to  console 
her  for  all  privations.  But  nonsense  apart  I  sincerely  regret  losing 
her :  she  was  a  very  nice  girl,  cordial  and  goodnatured.  .  .  . 

There  seems  to  me  nothing  improbable  in  the  fact  of  your  Scotch 
beggar  having  composed  the  verses  you  sent.  There  is  something 
I  like  about  them.  Before  leaving  Brighton  we  took  tea  with  Mrs. 
Sortain,  on  which  occasion  we  did  not  get  enough  to  eat.  Mr. 
Sangiovanni  presented  me  with  a  small  clay  dog,  and  Maria  with  a 
busto  roma)io  which  reminds  us  both  of  Mr.  Ciocci :  and  we  met 
Mr.  Pistrucci  by  appointment  at  Mr.  S.'s  ;  he  is  looking  better  than 
I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  him.  A  favourable  review  of  the 
defunct  Germ^  or  rather  Art  and  Poetry,  appeared  in  last  week's 
Guardian  :  incidental  mention  is  made  of  Gabriel's  last  picture : 
and  I  am  not  sure  whether  unmixed  but  certainly  high  praise  is 
awarded  to  the  Prseraphaelite  School  of  painting.  Mamma,  who 
possesses  the  newspaper,  is  much  gratified  at  all  this  :  not  the  less 
perhaps  as  the  pre-eminence  of  mind  is  not  attributed  to  Mr.  Millais. 
A  Critic  came  for  you  this  morning. 

I  have  no  further  communications  of  any  sort  present  to  my  mind 
except  that  I  am  &c. 


To  William  Rossetti,  ^ 

[Aylott  and  Jones,  a  firm  in  Paternoster  Row,  had  been  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  first  two  numbers  of  T/ie  Germ.  I  don't  exactly 
remember  what  I  was  proposing  to  do  in  relation  to  them  :  perhaps 
to  see  whether  they  would  pubhsh  Maude.  This  was  a  prose-story 
(for  girls  rather  than  adults)  written  by  Christina,  with  some  verse 
interspersed:  it  remained  unpublished  until  after  her  death,  1897. — 
Mrs.  W.  B.  Scott  was  not  a  poetess  or  authoress  in  the  ordinar}'  sense  : 
but  she  had  recently  shown  me  some  verses  of  her  composition, 
chiefly  on  religious  topics.  Her  opinions  on  such  topics  were  at  that 
time  shifting  and  uncertain  :  hence  an  expression  in  Christina's  letter. 
— "  The  GilfiUan  case  "  and  the  "  abominable  row  "  are  not  now  clear 
to  me.     I  was  then  writing  some  literary  reviews  in  The  Critic,  and 


1851— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  17 

the  Rev.  George  Gillillan,  a  rather  prominent  critic  of  those  days,  was 
taking  a  leading  part  in  that  weekly  serial  :  possibly  I  had  surmised 
that  I  might  come  into  some  sort  of  collision  with  him — or  (not  less 
probably)  the  row  has  no  relation  to  Gilfillan  or  to  The  Critic. — It 
will  be  observed  that  this  letter  was  written  from  Longleat,  the  seat  of 
the  Marquis — at  this  time  of  the  Marchioness  Dowager — of  Bath. 
Our  Aunt  Charlotte  Polidori  was  a  governess,  and  afterwards  a 
"companion,"  in  the  Marchioness's  family,  and  had  been  authorized 
to  receive  Christina  as  a  temporary  visitor.] 


LONGLEAT,    WARMINSTER,    WILTS. 

2%  July   1 85 1. 

My  dear  William, 

Many  thanks  for  your  kind  intention  of  writing  on  the 
subject  of  Aylott  and  Jones.  Perhaps  our  letters  will  cross.  I  think 
Maude  may  await  my  return.  She  is  lying  perdu  in  a  drawer,  several 
removes  from  undergoing  a  revise.  Perhaps  I  shall  some  day 
produce  something  better  in  the  first  instance.  I  am  far  from  blind 
to  the  poetry  of  Mrs.  Scott's  verses.  They  are  very  superior  to  my 
preconceived  notions  of  them,  and  indicate  talent  and  feeling  :  if 
such  poetry  may  be  trusted  for  telling  a  true  tale.  Perhaps  a  real 
tale  would  better  express  my  meaning,  as  I  have  no  intention  of 
insinuating  falsehood.  Do  you  select  the  middle  of  August  for 
taste  or  convenience,  for  your  projected  visit  to  Newcastle  ?  or  did 
your  hosts  elect  propose  it?  How  have  you  arranged  matters  in 
the  Gilfillan  case  ?  It  is  very  easy  to  set  down  matters  as  "  non- 
sense and  a  bore  "  to  me  :  but  I  defy  you  to  prove  that  I  do  not 
want  your  letters,  even  such  as  they  are.  But  how  can  you  have  any 
taste  for  an  abominable  row  ?  I  do  not  approve  of  the  specimen 
of  signature  you  append  to  your  last  letter :  it  is  very  easy  to  say  it 
is  W.  M.  Rossetti. 

When  next  you  see  them,  you  may  remember  me  not  only  to  Mrs. 
but  also  to  Mr.  Scott.  This  is  avoiding  the  hurry  of  the  last  moment. 
Is  Mr.  Scott  a  good  judge  in  art?  Of  course,  if  not,  his  opinion  may 
still  occasionally  be  right.  There  is  a  (to  me)  singular  plant  in  the 
garden  :  one  flower  of  it  swarms  with  ants,     Its  appearance  is  some- 


i8  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

thing  like  that  of  a  thistle.  Did  you  ever  taste  bread-fruit  ?  We 
had  some  yesterday  :  it  reminded  me  of  an  indifferent  pear.  Will 
you  tell  Mamma,  with  my  love,  that  I  regularly  have  arrowroot  in  my 
own  room  of  a  night :  and  that  at  dinner  in  the  schoolroom  I  mix 
my  wine  with  that  unpleasant  and  salutary  compound  hop-tea  ? 

Thinking  it  possible  you  may  not  wish  me  to  go  on  to  the  genuine 
history  of  my  week's  work,  I  remain  &c. 

The  other  day  Lady  Bath  let  me  ride  home  from  church,  and  her- 
self walked  in  the  rain.  She  shows  herself  very  amiable  in  certain 
little  everyday  matters. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Newcastle-on-Tyne. 

[The  address  here  given  by  Christina  had  become  our  family- 
residence  since  the  beginning  of  1851.  Our  Uncle  Henry  Polydore, 
Articled  Clerk  to  a  firm  of  solicitors,  lived  in  Gloucester,  and  I 
visited  him  on  my  return  homeward  from  Newcastle,  where  I  was 
the  guest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.  Scott. — The  only  verse-compo- 
sitions by  Christina  which  I  find  dated  towards  this  time  are  A  Fair 
World  though  a  Fallen^  in  August,  and  Behold  I  stafid  at  the  door 
and  knock,  in  December. — The  phrase  "  I  have  not  made  out  North 
yet "  becomes  a  little  less  hazy  on  reading  the  next-ensuing  letter. 
— "  Little  Fanny  Grey  "  I  have  forgotten  :  she  may  perhaps  have 
been  some  small  girl,  in  a  humble  sphere  in  life,  known  to  Christina 
in  connexion  with  church-work.] 


38   ARLINGTON   ST.    CAMDEN   TOWN. 

23  August   1851. 

My  dear  William, 

Do  not  feel  aggravated  at  the  sight  of  my  mark.  I  write  to 
enclose  a  note  from  Uncle  Henry  to  Maria,  part  of  which  regards 
you.  Do  you  not  think  it  would  be  possible  to  take  Gloucester  in 
your  way  home  ?  I  think  you  might  give  pleasure  by  the  proceeding  ; 
Uncle  Henry  is  by  no  means  well,  and  Gloucester  is  a  fine  old  city 
well  worth  seeing.  If  you  go,  try  to  manage  the  ascent  of  Robin 
Hood's  Hill  in  the  vicinity ;  the  view  is  magnificent.  There  is  a 
delightful  walk,  too,  to  Hempstead,  such  a  pretty  village.     You  can 


1851— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  19 

go  along  by  the  Bristol  Channel,  and  returning  you  pass  Lanthony 
Abbey,  and  an  ancient  well.  ,  .  . 

I  have  written  nothing  whole  since  you  left,  but  have  begun  a 
piece  that,  I  fancy,  might  prove  nice. 

I  have  not  made  out  North  yet.  Will  you  remember  Mamma, 
Maria,  and  self,  cordially  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  ?  How  do  you  all 
get  on,  and  what  do  you  do? — also  how  was  your  present  liked? 
I  have  not  attempted  the  Heimanns  yet ;  perhaps  the  letter  may 
stand  in  the  place  of  intercourse  for  some  months  to  come :  but 
honestly  I  am  not  in  a  condition  to  walk  so  far.  Little  Fanny  Grey 
told  us  one  day  that  a  goose  had  no  legs,  a  cat  two,  and  a  canary 
four :  however  she  assigned  the  proper  complement  to  a  three-legged 
stool. 

Mamma  sends  a  maternal  love,  Maria  a  do.  adapted  to  circum- 
stances. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Newcastk-on-Tyne. 

[I  did,  as  expected,  "  proceed  to  the  Lakes  by  Carlisle,"  staying  for 
a  day  or  two  at  Pooley-bridge  by  Ulleswater :  and  this  was  the  only 
occasion  when  I  have  visited  the  Lake-country,  except  that,  shortly 
after  Ruskin's  death,  I  was  at  his  house  overlooking  Coniston. — 
Some  arrangement  had  been  made  for  the  convenience  of  William 
North,  who  was  now  either  changing  lodgings  in  London,  or  else 
preparing  to  go  to  the  United  States.  He  was  not  "  married,''  but 
perhaps  he  ought  to  have  been. — As  to  the  ballad  of  The  Hermii  of 
Warkworth,  I  believe  that  I  was  right  in  ascribing  it  to  Bishop  Percy  : 
it  is  not  the  same  thing  as  the  ballad  of  The  Hertnit,  written  by 
Goldsmith.  I  had  recently  made  an  excursion  to  Warkworth 
Hermitage,  and  had  by  mischance  left  my  pocket-book  there.] 


38   ARLINGTON   ST,    CAMDEN   TOWN. 

29  August  1 85 1. 

My  DEAR  William, 

Many  thanks  for  your  nice  long  letter.  Your  time  seems 
full  indeed,  and  pleasantly  so.  Do  you  think  you  shall  exceed  your 
fortnight  at  Newcastle  ?     At  any  rate  I  hope  my  note  may  arrive 


20  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

before  your  departure.  If  you  proceed  to  the  Lakes  by  Carlisle  (a 
near  Railway  point)  and  return  thither  preparatory  to  continuing  your 
tour,  you  could  thence  go  to  Gloucester  by  a  very  direct  route.  .  .  . 

Yesterday  Mr.  North  sent  for  his  box.  To-day  Mamma  has  con- 
sented to  take  in  letters  for  him  :  how  long  this  is  for  I  know  not.  Is 
he  married  ?  a  young  lady  with  a  child  in  a  cab  left  the  message. 
Begging  your  pardon,  was  it  not  Oliver  Goldsmith  who  versified  the 
Hermitage,  and  not  Bishop  Percy  ?  You  may  thank  your  third-class 
tastes  for  the  delightful  duration  of  your  journey,  I  conjecture.  I 
dare  say  Lincoln  Cathedral  is  grand  :  once  I  was  told  that  Gloucester 
and  Worcester  were  reckoned  the  two  finest  in  England.  But  how 
delightful  Hexham  Church  must  be  :  and  I  like  the  Sexton. 

Did  all  its  furniture  depart  along  with  your  pocket-book  ?  Could 
you  not  make  enquiries  for  it,  Mamma  suggests  ?  If  you  have  not 
yet  got  a  new  one,  on  no  account  do  so.  Maria  and  I  hope  to  pre- 
sent you  with  one  for  your  next  birthday.  You  need  not  answer  per 
post,  as  we  hope  to  see  you  before  then.  .  .  . 

Have  you  chilly  weather?     We  have,  say  I. 


From  Dante  Rossetti  to  Christina  Rossetti,  Darlaston 
Hall,  Staffordshire. 

[This  letter  (with  some  minor  omissions  of  words,  and  especially 
of  its  drawing)  has  previously  been  published  in  The  Fa77iily- letters 
of  D.  G.  Rossetti. — As  to  the  statement  that  Christina  was  "  per- 
petrating portraits,"  it  may  be  observed  that  towards  this  date  she 
had  a  certain  disposition  to  cultivate  any  aptitude  which  she  might 
possess  for  art-work.  She  never  carried  the  attempt  far,  but  could 
catch  a  likeness  pretty  well. — "  The  Sid "  was  Elizabeth  Eleanor 
Siddal,  whom  my  brother  married  in  i860. — His  things  sent  from 
Highgate  were  probably  forwarded  from  the  house  rented  by  Mr.  E. 
L.  Bateman,  a  decorative  artist  who  had  emigrated  to  Australia  with 
Thomas  Woolner  and  others.  Mrs.  and  Miss  Howitt  (the  late  Mrs. 
Howitt-Watts)  were  then  staying  in  the  house,  and  were  on  very 
cordial  terms  both  with  my  brother  and  with  Miss  Siddal. — The 
magazine  with  which  Mrs.  Howitt  was  connected  was  named  (I  think) 
Aikitis  Year:  Christina  published  in  the  magazine  the  composition 
Behold  J  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  :  not  perhaps  anything  else, 


Sketch  by  Dante  Gahriel  Rossetti. 
Seep.  22. 


[To /ticc  p.  ai- 


1852— FROM    DANTE    ROSSETTI  21 

Her  Rumed  Cross  was  a  very  early  affair,  included  in  the  privately 
printed  Verses  of  1847. — Christina  was  at  this  time  on  a  visit  to  Mr. 
Swynfen  Jervis  and  his  family,  at  Darlaston  Hall,  Staffordshire  :  she 
was,  I  think,  bringing  on  one  or  other  of  the  daughters  in  conver- 
sational Italian.  Mr.  Jervis,  a  connexion  of  Lord  St.  Vincent,  had 
been  in  parliament :  our  father  had  taught  Italian  in  his  family,  who 
had  kept  up  some  acquaintance  with  us  otherwise.  The  pen-and-ink 
sketch  of  Mr.  Jervis  and  Christina,  and  the  description  of  it,  were 
not  intended  as  seriously  ill-natured  to  this  gentleman,  but  as  banter 
which  a  sister  would  understand.  Mr.  Jervis  was  something  of  a 
Shakespearean  commentator,  and  something  also  of  a  verse-writer. — 
My  brother's  proposed  trip  to  Hastings  was  for  the  purpose  of 
rejoining  Miss  Siddal,  who  stayed  there  at  times  for  health's  sake.] 


LONDON. 

4  Augttsi  1852. 

My  dear  Christina, 

Maria  has  just  shown  me  a  letter  of  yours  by  which  I  find 
that  you  have  been  perpetrating  portraits  of  some  kind.  If  you  answer 
this  note,  will  you  enclose  a  specimen,  as  I  should  like  to  see  some 
of  your  handiwork.  You  must  take  care  however  not  to  rival  the 
Sidj  but  keep  within  respectful  limits.  Since  you  went  away,  I  have 
had  sent  me,  among  my  things  from  Highgate,  a  lock  of  hair  shorn 
from  the  beloved  head  of  that  dear,  and  radiant  as  the  tresses  of 
Aurora,  a  sight  of  which  perhaps  may  dazzle  you  on  your  return.  That 
love  has  lately  made  herself  a  grey  dress,  also  a  black  silk  one,  the  first 
bringing  out  her  characteristics  as  a  "meek  unconscious  dove,"  while 
the  second  enhances  her  qualifications  as  a  "  rara  avis  in  terris,"  by 
rendering  her  "nigro  simillima  cygno." 

I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  of  your  improved  health,  and  hope  it  may 
prove  lasting.  I  was  lately  in  company  with  Mrs.  and  Miss  Howitt, 
with  whom  you  are  a  considerable  topic.  I  believe  Mamma  forwarded 
you  an  intelligent  magazine  by  Mrs.  H.  to  which  you  are  at  liberty 
to  contribute.  That  lady  was  much  delighted  with  your  printed  per- 
formances, and  wishes  greatly  to  know  you.  Her  daughter  likewise 
yearns  in  your  direction.  She  has  by  her,  singularly  enough,  a  draw- 
ing which  she  calls  The  E?id  of  the  Pilgrimage,  made  by  her  some 


22  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

years  back,  which  furnishes  an  exact  illustration  of  your  Ruined 
Cross. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  an  attempt  to  record,  though  faintly,  that 
privileged  period  of  your  life  during  which  you  have  sat  at  the  feet 
of  one  for  whom  the  ages  have  probably  been  waiting.  The  cartoon 
has  that  vagueness  which  attends  all  true  poetry.  On  his  countenance 
is  a  calm  serenity,  unchangeable,  unmistakeable.  In  yours  I  think 
I  read  awe,  mingled  however  with  something  of  that  noble  pride 
which  even  the  companionship  of  greatness  has  been  known  to 
bestow.  Are  you  here  transcribing  from  his  very  lips  the  title-deeds 
of  his  immortality,  or  rather  perpetuating  by  a  sister  art  the  aspect 
of  that  brow  where  poetry  has  set  up  her  throne  ?  I  know  not.  The 
expression  of  Shakespear's  genial  features  is  also  perhaps  ambiguous, 
though  doubtless  not  to  him.  Westminster  Abbey,  I  see,  looms  in 
the  distance,  though  with  rather  an  airy  character. 

I  shall  very  possibly  be  going  to  Hastings  in  a  few  days.  Mean- 
while, till  I  hear  from  you  or  see  you  again,  believe  me  &c. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  Mamma  considers  2/6  sufificient  to  give  the 
maid,  in  which  I  may  add  I  do  not  coincide.  Mamma,  however, 
's,dc^%  you  must  judge. 


To  Frances  Rossetti,  London. 

[Not  long  after  settling  in  Frome-Selwood,  Somerset,  Mrs.  Rossetti 
had  to  return  to  London,  to  attend  the  deathbed  of  her  mother, 
Mrs.  Polidori,  aged  eighty-four  or  thereabouts.  Christina  remained 
behind  at  Frome ;  to  which  town  she  and  our  mother  had  very 
recently  gone  to  arrange  for  opening  a  day-school.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Bennett  was  Vicar  of  Frome.  He  had  been  appointed  to  that  living 
by  the  Marchioness  Dowager  of  Bath,  after  exciting  in  London  some 
commotion  by  his  "  high-church  "  practices  :  and  it  was  conjectured 
that,  with  some  countenance  from  him,  Mrs.  Rossetti,  with  Christina 
as  her  assistant,  might  be  able  to  do  something  better  with  a  day- 
school  at  Frome  than  they  had  managed  with  a  like  school  at  No.  38 
Arlington  Street.] 


'fr.^..  -^/L<^  ^>^^^  ^r^'  ^^^-^  ^ 


ai<f 


^^    ^'  y^ysp^      ^'^'^^     ^^   ^^  ^^    p. 


Facsimile  from  Rossetti's  Letter. 

See  p,  22. 


[  TV  /Otf  /,  22. 


,.  OF    THE 

■'    UNIVERS!" 

OF 


i853— TO   WILLIAM   ROSSETTI  23 

BRUNSWICK  PLACE,    FROME. 

28  April  1853. 

My  precious  Mamma, 

Thank  God  indeed  that  dear  Grandmamma  died  without 
pain,  and  also  that  you  left  Frome  when  you  did ;  another  delay 
would  have  made  you  too  late,  at  any  rate  unless  you  had  had  even 
more  night-travelling.  I  am  very  glad  she  mentioned  me,  but  hardly 
hope  she  understood  my  love.  I  have  managed  to  put  on  nothing 
contrary  to  mourning  to-day,  and  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  proper 
things,  as  you  kindly  say  you  will  order  them. 

Now  I  want  you  to  consider  about  my  going  to  town,  and  only  to 
consider  your  own  wishes  in  the  matter.  In  the  first  place,  trusting 
in  the  goodness  of  my  intentions,  I  shall  defer  setting  off  till  Monday 
morning  at  any  rate :  this  will  enable  me  to  complete  the  current 
week,  and  to  make  our  shortcoming  exactly  a  fortnight.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  you  are  only  requiring  my  presence  in  London  to  save 
me  trouble,  pray  do  not  let  this  weigh  with  you  :  I  am  managing 
very  well,  and  doubt  not  I  shall  continue  doing  so.  .  .  . 

Do  not  let  Maria  or  any  one  at  home  labour  under  the  delusion 
that  I  do  not  care  to  see  them  ;  but  rather  let  them  attribute  my  plan 
to  that  strength  of  mind  which  characterizes  me.  .  .  . 

And  now  for  something  personal.  If  I  come  to  London,  and  am 
in  time,  I  should  like  to  see  Grandmamma  again.  Pray  do  not  be 
afraid  of  the  effects  of  such  a  sight  on  me ;  I  really  wish  it,  unless 
the  lapse  of  so  many  days  renders  it  inadvisable.  But  of  course  I 
leave  the  decision  wholly  to  you.  I  hope  Grandpapa  will  not 
suffer  in  his  health. 

The  weather  here  continues  very  ungenial  in-doors,  but  has  im- 
proved out.  Mind  you  take  due  care  of  your  wise  self:  and  this 
exhortation  I  address  to  all  I  love,  which  includes  a  considerable 
number  of  persons ;  each  of  whom  I  salute,  especially  Papa. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Christina  did  not  give  any  address  to  this  letter  beyond  writing 
'*  H.  H.,"  and  I  do  not  now  well  remember  where  she  was — possibly 


24  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Hampstead  Heath.  It  is  clear  that  she  was  engaged  in  some  sort 
of  tuition,  not  of  a  fully  defined  kind,  and  that  she  rejoiced  (quite 
characteristically)  in  finding  her  health  not  strong  enough  for  regular 
engagements  of  like  description ;  and  this  was,  I  think,  the  very 
last  attempt  that  she  made  at  anything  of  the  sort. — "Henrietta" 
was  Miss  Henrietta  Rintoul,  daughter  of  the  Editor  of  The  Spectator, 
for  which  I  was  then  the  art-critic. — About  the  Russian  book  by 
Harrison  I  don't  know  anything ;  we  had  some  acquaintance  with 
a  family  named  Harrison,  in  which  the  mother  and  one  or  two  of 
the  daughters  were  flower-painters. — Mr.  Munro  was  the  sculptor 
Alexander  Munro.] 


H.   H. 

[13  November  1855.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  hope  you  are  glad  to  know  that  I  am  very  comfortable  in 
my  exile ;  but  at  any  rate  I  know  I  am  rejoiced  to  feel  that  my 
health  does  really  unfit  me  for  miscellaneous  governessing  en 
perfnane?ice.  For  instance  yesterday  I  indulged  in  breakfast  in  bed, 
having  been  very  unwell  the  day  previous  :  now  I  am  very  tolerable 
again,  but  do  not  feel  particularly  to  be  depended  upon. 

May  I  hope  for  another  letter  before  my  return  ?  I  dare  say  you 
know  I  have  written  to  Henrietta ;  to  whom  my  cordial  love  should 
you  chance  to  see  her.  ^ince  writing  to  her,  I  have  discovered  a 
charming  fact  in  a  note  to  an  amusing  Russo  book  :  to  wit,  the 
Chinese  have  three  words  signifying  death ;  sze  (?)  for  the  vulgar, 
_pafig  for  the  emperor,  but  for  princes  and  such  like  hung  111  I  am 
so  pleased. 

Do  you  know  Hochchiga  by  dreary  Elliott  Warburton?  I  am 
supposed  to  be  reading  it. 

But  to  revert  to  the  Russian  book.  It  is  by  a  man  called  Harrison, 
and  some  particularly  bad  plates  illustrating  it  are  signed  F.  Harrison. 
I  wonder  if  these  have  anything  to  do  with  our  Harrisons.  I  have  a 
notion  they  had  a  Russian  resident  brother,  and  the  plates  then 
would  be  due  to  the  fair  Fanny.  Their  nature  encourages  in  me  a 
suspicion  that  I  could  do  better  myself. 

I   hear  Mr.   Munro  has  dined  at  home  since  my   departure :    I 


1858— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  25 

wonder  if  I  ever  shall  make  his  acquaintance,  having  heard  of  him 
these  hundred  years. 

Of  course  there  are  numbers  of  pictures  about  here,  some  of  which 
are  worth  looking  at.  I  wish  you  could  see  an  extremely  quaint  one 
of  a  little  girl  holding  something  in  her  hand  whilst  a  kitten  stretches 
up  towards  her  :  I  fancy  it  must  possess  merit. 

I  hear  my  young  charge  just  come  in  from  their  walk  :  so  in  haste 
believe  me  with  love  to  Mamma  and  Maria  .  .  . 

To  G.  too,  of  course,  if  attainable. 


To  William  Rossetti,  FresMvafer. 

[I  spent  some  little  while  at  Freshwater,  seeing  much  of  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Rintoul,  and  something  of  the  Tennysons. — I  forget  what  Dr. 
Heimann's  tale  may  have  been. — The  Crayon  was  an  American  Art- 
review,  edited  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Stillman  (afterwards  well  known  as 
American  Consul  in  Rome  and  in  Crete,  Times  correspondent  in 
Rome,  &c.),  and  I  acted  as  its  informant  for  British  matters.] 


45    UPPER  ALBANY  STREET,    LONDON,    N.W, 

18  August  185S. 

My  dear  William, 

Your  letters,  showing  that  you  are  enjoying  yourself,  cheer 
us  like  sunbeams  and  produce  in  us  a  moon-like  content.  We  heard 
this  morning  from  Maria,  who  also  appears  comfortable :  she  has 
promised  the  Scotts  to  be  with  them  on  Friday  evening.  .  .  . 

Dr.  Heimann's  tale  proves  very  superior  to  my  expectations ; 
Heimannic,  but  agreeably  so :  I  think  you  will  like  it.  He  seems 
inclined  to  publish  it  both  in  German  and  English,  in  the  former 
almost  immediately.  .  .  . 

Gabriel  is  so  well  as  to  have  utterly  disappeared  from  these 
quarters.  His  water-cure  was  prescribed  by  himself,  such  treatment 
having  formerly  relieved  him.     No  letters  for  you  to-day,  as  yet. 

We  have  revisited  the  Z.  Gardens.  Lizards  are  in  strong  force, 
tortoises  active,  alligators  looking  up.  The  weasel-headed  armadillo 
as  usual  evaded  us.     A  tree-frog  came  to  light,  the  exact  image  of  a 


26  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

tin  toy  to  follow  a  magnet  in  a  slop-basin.  The  blind  wombat  and 
neighbouring  porcupine  broke  forth  into  short-lived  hostilities,  but 
apparently  without  permanent  results.  The  young  puma  begins  to 
bite.  Your  glorious  sea-anemones : — I  well  know  the  strawberry 
specimen,  but  do  not  remember  the  green  and  purple.  Beware  of 
putting  them  into  fresh  water,  as  the  result  is  said  to  be  fatal  and 
nauseating.  Did  you  thank  us  for  that  Crayon  ?  Sometimes  a  very 
mean  instalment  of  occupation  is  acceptable  at  the  sea-side.  .  .  . 

Mamma's  love :  also  hers  and  mine  to  Henrietta,  with  the  useless 
assurance  how  truly  I  am  &c. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Newcastle. 

[The  statement,  "  I  have  promised  to  go  to  Highgate,"  relates  to 
an  institution  at  Highgate  for  the  reclamation  and  protection  of 
women  leading  a  vicious  life  :  Christina  stayed  there  from  time  to 
time,  but  not  for  lengthy  periods  together,  taking  part  in  the  work. 
— The  "  proofs  "  which  she  had  to  attend  to  must  have  belonged  to 
her  volume,  Goblin  Market^  &c. — Olaf  and  Peter  were  dogs — the 
latter  at  Wallington  Hall,  the  seat  of  Sir  Walter  Calverley  Trevelyan. 
— The  observation  that  Paris  and  other  French  places  were  now 
realities  to  Christina  glances  at  her  having  been  in  France  (for  the 
first  time)  with  our  mother  and  myself  in  the  summer  of  this  year. — 
The  "  horror "  connected  with  horses  in  France  was,  I  think,  some 
process  of  vivisection. — As  to  Dr.  Gray  and  ]\Ir.  Du  Chaillu,  some 
readers  of  the  present  day  may  remember  an  embittered  controversy 
which  was  carried  on  regarding  Du  Chaillu's  adventures  with  gorillas. 
Ultimately  his  opponents  had  to  admit  the  essential  truth  of  his 
statements,  though  combined  with  various  inaccuracies  of  date  and 
locality.] 

45    UPPER   ALBANY   STREET,    LONDOM,    N.W. 

25  October  1S61. 

My  dear  William, 

...  I  have  promised  to  go  to  Highgate  for  a  short  time, 
on  condition  that  I  shall  have  leisure  to  attend  to  proofs  :  but  expect 
to  be  home  again  about  the  13th  if  not  before.  Gabriel,  in  a  note  to 
Maria,  mentioned  that  he  was  going  to  Yorkshire  (last)  Wednesday, 
so  now  very  likely  he  is  gone. 


i862— FROM  DANTE   ROSSETTI  27 

The  2  Misses  Cayley  called  the  other  day.  Sophie  (in  a  bonnet 
and  not  very  good  light)  handsome  and  striking,  ready  and  amusing 
in  conversation ;  Henrietta  you  know.  .  .  . 

My  love  to  my  dear  Mrs.  Scott :  Mamma  joins  me  in  everything 
cordial  to  both  your  hosts.  How  is  dear  Olaf  ?  And  at  Wallington 
has  Peter  found  a  worthy  successor  ? 

On  Wednesday  evening  we  went  and  heard  an  amusing  schoolroom 
lecture,  Reminiscences  of  foreign  travel ;  Boulogne,  Rouen,  and  Paris, 
are  realities  now  for  me  instead  of  mere  names.  The  lecturer,  a 
Revd.  —  Jackson,  was  one  of  the  recent  deputation  to  Napoleon  HI  on 
the  subject  of  cruelty  to  poor  horses :  and  describes  the  Emperor's 
reception  of  the  deputation  as  not  merely  courteous  but  apparently 
even  cordial.     In  a  week  the  horror  was  put  an  end  to. 

The  Cayleys  I  find  are  connections  of  Dr.  Gray,  Du  Chaillu's 
opponent. 


From  Dante  Rossetti. 

Simpson's  divan. 

IJuly  1S62.] 

Dear  Christina, 

Here  are  the  2  notices.  I  forgot  that  one  puffs  me  too ; 
so,  if  you  want  to  show  them  to  any  one,  I  would  be  obliged  if  you 
would  copy  them  and  not  show  them  in  my  writing.  I  hope  you  are 
better,  and  should  come  up  to-night  instead  of  writing  if  it  were  not 
late.     I  shall  come  very  soon.     With  love  to  all.  ^ 


British   Quarterly,  July   1862. 

Besides  Gobliti  Market  this  volume  contains  some  miscellaneous 
poems  and  a  variety  of  devotional  pieces.  All  of  these  are  marked 
by  beauty  and  tenderness.  They  are  frequently  quaint  and  some- 
times a  little  capricious.  The  designs  by  Mr.  Rossetti  are  rich  and 
exquisite.  No  goblins  could  be  better  or  more  laughable  than  these ; 
nor  could  we  imagine  anything  more  felicitous  than  the  mixed 
longing  and  hesitation  pourtrayed'  in  the  face   and  action  of  the 


28  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

damsel.  The  poem  which  the  designs  illustrate  is  perhaps  the 
wealthiest  in  expression  of  any  in  the  volume,  as  it  is  also  the  one 
which  is  most  purely  and  completely  a  work  of  art;  but  the 
devotional  pieces  are  those  we  have  liked  best,  and  we  are  only  sorry 
to  have  no  space  to  quote  from  them. 


Natio7ial  Review,  July  1862. 

The  principal  poem  has  rare  delicacy  and  beauty  of  a  modest  kind, 
and  several  of  the  sonnets  are  fine. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  is  headed  by  a  primitive  portrayal  of  two  hands 
raised  in  astonishment,  and  a  note  of  admiration.  It  relates  to  a 
caricature  made  by  Dante  Gabriel,  founded  upon  a  phrase  in  The 
Times,  in  a  critique  upon  the  Goblin  Market  volume,  "  Miss  Rossetti 
can  point  to  work  which  could  not  easily  be  mended."  He  chose 
to  misconstrue  this  phrase,  and  represented  Christina,  in  a  state  of 
senseless  excitement,  destroying  household  furniture  with  a  hammer, 
bank-notes  in  a  firegrate,  &c.  The  caricature  was  preserved  by 
Christina,  and  is  still  extant — now  in  the  hands  of  my  daughter 
Olivia  Agresti. — The  Henrietta  here  mentioned  was  Henrietta 
Polydore,  daughter  of  our  uncle ;  she  was  at  this  date  aged  sixteen 
or  thereabouts,  and  was  consumptive.  She  died  in  the  United  States 
towards  the  age  of  twenty-eight. — By  "Mac"  here  and  elsewhere 
Christina  meant  her  publisher  Alexander  Macmillan,  with  whom  she 
was  always  on  pleasant  terms.] 


Si    high   ST.,    HASTINGS. 

{^December  1864.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Such  is  my  attitude  vis-iVvis  of  the  historic  record  of  my 
finished  work.  The  stolid  equanimity  of  the  elephant  under  the  loss 
of  his  trunk  is  perhaps  my  favourite  point :  though  Henrietta  justly 
directed  my  admiration  to  the  rueful  eye  which  the  chip  directs  to 
the  old  block  (head). 


00     <^ 

6    ^ 


S       ^ 
^        S" 


i866— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  29 

A  Miss  Smith  has  asked  and  obtained  Mac's  leave  to  melodize 
one  of  my  things,  I  know  not  which.  The  other  day  a  Rev.  Mr. 
Baynes  wrote  begging  my  permission  for  him  to  reprint  House  to 
Home,  in  a  collection  he  is  preparing  to  promote  a  charitable  object : 
after  consulting  Mac  I  consented.  Jean  Ingelow  is  in  his  list  of 
contributors ;  and  Dean  Alford,  not  that  I  rate  him  very  high 
poetically. 

Uncle  Henry  and  Henrietta  join  in  love. 


To  William  Rossettl 

[This  letter  is  very  roughly  written  in  pencil.  My  recollection 
concerning  it  is  not  exact.  Christina  was  somewhere  away  from 
home,  but  I  think  not  far  off  nor  for  long.  It  is  clear  that  she  had 
by  this  time,  on  grounds  of  religious  faith,  declined  the  offer  of 
marriage  made  by  Charles  Bagot  Cayley :  also  that  I  had  written 
making  some  proposal  which  she  thought  liberal — I  presume  the 
proposal  (which  I  certainly  did  make  at  some  time  or  other)  that,  if 
they  two  were  to  marry,  with  means  of  subsistence  inevitably  very 
slender,  or  indeed  next  to  none,  they  would  be  welcome  to  live  as 
free  inmates  of  my  house.] 


II  September  1866. 

Dear  William, 

I  am  writing  as  I  walk  along  the  road  with  a  party. 

I  can't  tell  you  what  I  feel  at  your  most  more  than  brotherly 
letter.  Of  course  I  am  not  merely  the  happier  for  what  has  occurred, 
but  I  gain  much  in  knowing  how  much  I  am  loved  beyond  my 
deserts.  As  to  money,  I  might  be  selfish  enough  to  wish  that 
were  the  only  bar,  but  you  see  from  my  point  of  view  it  is  not.  Now 
I  am  at  least  unselfish  enough  altogether  to  deprecate  seeing  C.  B.  C. 
continually  (with  nothing  but  mere  feeling  to  offer)  to  his  hamper  and 
discomfort :  but,  if  he  likes  to  see  me,  God  knows  I  like  to  see  him, 
and  any  kindness  you  will  show  him  will  only  be  additional  kindness 
loaded  on  me. 

I  prefer  writing  before  we  meet,  though  you're  not  very  formidable. 


30  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 


From  Charles  Cayley. 

[At  the  head  of  this  letter  Cayley  wrote  an  Italian  sonnet  by  Dine 
Frescobaldi,  date  131 1.  He  afterwards  translated  it  in  the  The  Pall 
Mall  Gazette  thus  : — 

"Advice  for  him  that  visits  England.     Wear 
No  gaudy  colours  and  no  lofty  mien. 
In  show  be  simple,  and  in  practice  keen. 
Ill  may  the  Briton,  if  he  trips  you,  fare  ! 
Spend  with  bold  heart,  and  shun  the  miser's  air. 
Keep  out  of  troubles,  and  give  way  to  spleen. 
Pay  punctually,  but  with  politeness  screen 
Your  dunning,  and  protest  your  pouch  is  bare. 
By  what  you  ask  for  be  prepared  to  stand. 

Purchase  betimes,  and  fortune  speed  you  well. 
Never  with  men  who  trade  in  wit  commune. 
Be  duteous  to  the  great  onus  of  the  land, 

And  on  good  terms  with  your  own  people  dwell, 
And  make  your  doors  fast  in  the  evening  soon."] 


[?    BLACKHEATH. 
2  September  1S6S.  ] 

Dear  Miss  Christina  Rossetti, 

Many  thanks  to  you  and  William  for  the  extracts  you  so 
kindly  copied.  You  might  perhaps  like,  in  its  way,  the  sonnet  I 
mentioned  to  him ;  I  will  have  the  pleasure  of  showing  you  how  I 
translate  it  in  the  P.  M.  G.  or  in  a  proof.  .  .  .  On  other  points  your 
brother  convinced  me.  I  must  send  you  some  remarkable  intima- 
tions about  our  friends  the  Uommibatti ;  let  us  hope  that  by  being 
eaten  they  will  multiply  and  earn  a  livelihood.  This  is  from  a  Times 
article  on  the  Victoria  acclimatization  society. 

"The  Society  acts  on  the  principle  of  reciprocity,  and  is  ready 
to  lend  as  well  as  borrow.  For  instance,  it  sends  us  black  swans  for 
white,  and  has,  besides,  done  its  best  to  provide  us  with  the  7vombaf, 
though  we  fear  to  little  purpose.  This  animal  was  recommended 
some  years   ago   as   calculated   to  supply  a  particular  want — that, 


1870— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  31 

namely,  of  an  animal  available  for  ordinary  food,  and  conveniently 
intermediate  in  size  between  a  pig  and  a  rabbit.  Of  its  flesh  we  only 
heard  that  it  was  neither  unwholesome  nor  disagreeable,  but  what 
has  become  of  the  venture  we  cannot  say.  It  seems  that  the  creature 
has  been  exported  to  Paris  and  Calcutta,  as  well  as  to  London,  so 
that  the  experiment  ought  to  have  had  a  fair  chance." 


To  Dante  Rossetti, 

[This  letter  is  imperfect — the  first  sheet  of  it  has  been  lost. 
It  would  appear  that  Dante  Rossetti  had  conveyed  to  his  sister  a 
suggestion,  made  by  Mr.  Stillman,  that  she  should  write  some 
more  poems,  partaking  (in  greater  or  less  degree)  of  "  politics  or 
philanthropy."  Such  would  not  have  been  Rossetti's  own  recom- 
mendation :  as  he  was  more  than  commonly  opposed  to  the  use  of 
such  matter  as  a  subject  for  poetry.  Perhaps  I  need  scarcely  trans- 
late Christina's  Italian  words,  "  ta)ito  meglio  per  me,"  "  so  much  the 
better  for  me." 


[LONDON. 
?  April  1870.] 

...  It  is  impossible  to  go  on  singing  out-loud  to  one's  one- 
stringed  lyre.  It  is  not  in  me,  and  therefore  it  will  never  come  out 
of  me,  to  turn  to  politics  or  philanthropy  with  Mrs.  Browning  :  such 
many-sidedness  I  leave  to  a  greater  than  I,  and,  having  said  my  say, 
may  well  sit  silent.  "  Give  me  the  withered  leaves  I  chose "  may 
include  the  dog-eared  leaves  of  one's  first,  last,  and  only  book.  If 
ever  the  fire  rekindles  availably,  tanto  meglio  per  me :  at  the  worst, 
I  suppose  a  few  posthumous  groans  may  be  found  amongst  my 
remains.  Here  is  a  great  discovery,  "  Women  are  not  Men,"  and 
you  must  not  expect  me  to  possess  a  tithe  of  your  capacities,  though 
I  humbly — or  proudly — lay  claim  to  family-likeness.  All  this  is  for 
you,  not  for  Mr.  Stillman,  for  whom  however  are  all  our  cordial 
regards.  .  .  . 

A  human  being  wanting  to  set  one  of  my  things  to  music  has 
at  last  not  fixed  on  "  When  I  am  dead,"  but  on  Grown  and 
Flown. 


32  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


From  Frances  Rossetti  to  Christina  Rossetti,  Folkestone. 

["  Nolly  "  was  Oliver  (son  of  Ford)  Madox  Brown. — Dante  Ros- 
setti's  "country-lodgings,"  mentioned  at  the  end  of  this  letter,  were 
the  Manor-house  at  Kelmscott,  Oxfordshire,  which  he  rented  jointly 
with  William  Morris.] 


56   EUSTON   SQUARE. 

19  August  1870. 

My  dear  Christina, 

.  ,  .  Yesterday  I  passed  a  most  pleasant  day  with  Gabriel 
and  William  at  Chelsea :  your  Aunts  and  Uncle  were  invited  also. 
Gabriel  is  notably,  I  hope  desirably,  thinner :  he  seemed  well  and 
in  spirits.  We  dined  most  delightfully  in  the  tent,  the  pretty  deer 
coming  to  the  entrance,  and  eating  out  of  our  hands :  he  did  not 
molest  two  ducks,  a  rabbit,  and  a  cat,  which  sported  in  his  wake. 
He  adorns  the  garden  which  has  quite  run  wild,  and  which  he 
browses  at  his  will ;  he  is  master  of  almost  all  he  surveys.  We  ate 
mulberries  from  the  venerable  tree,  and  excellent  they  were.  Green 
figs  on  a  recumbent  branch  we  only  looked  at.  Grouse  came  to 
table,  also  to  our  house  here,  a  gift  from  my  son  Gabriel ;  who  tells 
me  you  are  "a  more  spontaneous  poet"  than  himself  .  .  . 

Gabriel  has  a  mole,  the  gift  of  Nolly.  I  cannot  think  he  will  have 
it  long,  though  he  provides  it  with  a  glass  box  of  good  dimension, 
filled  with  earth.  Nothing  short  of  full  liberty  in  the  garden  can,  I 
suppose,  keep  him  alive ;  and  even  of  that  fact  there  would  be  no 
ocular  proof,  as  doubtless  he  would  sink  into  the  ground.  His  first 
salute  to  Gabriel  was  a  bite,  more  regarded  by  me  than  by  him- 
self .  .  .  Gabriel  continues  assiduous  in  his  painting,  and  will  not 
go  yet  to  his  country-lodgings.  .  .   . 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Various  poems  written  by  Dr.  Thomas  Gordon  Hake  are  the 
subject-matter  of  this  note,] 


1871— TO   DANTE   ROSSETTI  33 


56   EUSTON   SQUARE. 
[187 1 — ?  End  of  February. "X 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Referring  to  your  letter  of  weeks  ago,  I  wish  I  could  say 
more  about  Madeline  ;  but  I  altogether  lost  myself  in  its  mazes,  and 
perished  in  its  quag.  The  Parables  however  are  quite  another 
matter.  Old  Souls,  not  to  discuss  every  point  in  it,  has  a  rugged 
nobility  and  beauty  which  I  hope  may  strike  fire  out  of  some  flints, 
and  a  pathos  which  may  melt  some.  The  Lily  of  the  Valley  too  has 
continual  beauty ;  the  Deadly  Nightshade,  startling  awfulness. 
Perhaps,  but  I  am  not  sure,  the  one  I  care  for  least  is  Immortality. 
But  in  all,  unless  we  except  Old  Souls,  I  have  a  habit  of  missing  the 
thread,  if  indeed  the  thread  always  is  there  to  miss.  Even  in  Made- 
line I  recognize  beauty — but  how  about  meaning?  The  Epitaphs  I 
have  not  studied,  but  the  Resurgam  I  read  and  liked.  Perhaps,  if  I 
had  not  been  pulled  down  by  my  abscess  I  might  be  more  pointed ; 
as  it  is,  please  pardon  generalities. 

Our  Mother's  love. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  dreadful  illness  from  which  Christina  suffered  for  two  or 
three  years — termed  exophthalmic  bronchocele  or  Dr.  Graves's 
disease — began  in  or  about  April  187 1.  Here  we  find  the  first 
evidence  of  it :  the  handwriting  is  very  much  affected.  It  is  like 
what  Christina's  handwriting,  starting  from  the  standard  of  March 
187 1,  might  have  been  expected  to  come  to  when  she  should  be 
seventy-five  years  old  or  upwards.  This  collapse  of  handwriting 
lasted  for  some  months,  but  was  totally  overcome  in  the  long  run.] 

56  EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

28  lApril  1 87 1]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Thankyou  for  forwarding  me  Dr.  Marston's  courteous  and 

complimentary  letter,  which  I  like.      Perhaps  you  may  look  at  it 

some  day.     Sir  W.  Jenner  saw  me  last  Saturday  and  pronounced  me 

seriously  ill :  to  avoid  stairs  I  am  confined  to  the  drawing-room  floor. 

3 


34  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Our   Mother  sends  a   love  of  the    magnitude   to   which   we   are 
accustomed. 

Please  attribute  intolerable  hideousness  in  part  to  weakness. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Ravenna. 

[This  letter  was  written  by  Christina  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of 
sending  on  to  me  any  letters  which  had  arrived  to  my  London 
address  after  I  had  left  town. — Mr.  Arthur  Hughes  was  (but  I  need 
scarcely  specify  it)  the  illustrator  of  Singsong,  and  all  sorts  of  people 
have  agreed  with  Christina  in  regarding  his  designs  as  "  charming." — 
I  forget  what  "  the  beautiful  Greek  album  "  was  :  probably  something 
coming  to  me  from  Mr.  W.  J.  Stillman,  who  had  recently  been  United 
States  Consul  in  Crete. — The  Songs  of  the  Sierras  was  the  first 
volume  of  poetry  published  by  Joaquin  Miller. — Maria's  "frontis- 
piece "appertained  to  her  book,  published  about  this  time,  A  Shadow 
of  Dante^ 


56    EUSTON    SQUARE,    LONDON,    N.W. 

2S/«/j/   1 87 1. 

My  dear  William, 

.  ,  .  We  were  setting  off  to-day,  as  Sir  W.  J[enner],  having 
seen  me,  recommends  sea  again ;  but  a  cold  I  caught  has  delayed 
us  at  least  till  to-morrow. 

By  the  by,  one  other  letter  has  come  for  you,  but  it  is  only  from 
Dalziel  with  a  second  proof  of  Sing  Song.  Mr.  Hughes  continues 
charming.  I  have  written  now  to  ask  that  proofs  may  be  addressed 
to  me,  and  of  course  they  must  follow  me  out  of  town.  .  .   . 

I  could  not  tell  you  outside  (having  forgotten  to  mention 
inside)  how  warmly  Miss  Heaton  and  Mr.  Cayley  thanked  you  for 
the  beautiful  Greek  album.  He  wishes  you  also  a  pleasant  tour. 
He  called  last  Wednesday  and  stayed  to  dinner,  and  borrowed  my 
Songs  of  the  Sierras.  He  had  just  been  down  to  Cambridge  for  his 
little  niece's  birthday. 

Maria's  love.  She  received  4  proofs  of  her  frontispiece  to  choose 
from,  and  Gabriel  to  whom  she  sent  them  made  the  selection.  We 
have  not  heard  from  him  again.  .  .  . 


1872— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  35 

To  William  Rossetti,  London. 

5   GLOUCESTER   PLACE,    FOLKESTONE. 

I  September  1871. 

My  dear  William, 

Thankyou  very  much  for  the  notes  on  my  last  proof,  notes 
which  I  might  not  have  ventured  to  make  even  had  I  had  the  wit  for 
their  composition.  What  a  charming  design  is  the  ring  of  elfs  pro- 
ducing the  fairy  ring — also  the  apple-tree  casting  its  apples — also  the 
three  dancing  girls  with  the  angel  kissing  one — also  I  like  the  crow 
soaked  grey  stared  at  by  his  peers. 

In  one  way  I  have  certainly  gained  ground,  my  appetite  has 
improved ;  and  I  walk  a  little  better  perhaps.  The  abscess  is  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Still  I  am  weak,  and  less  ornamental  than  society 
may  justly  demand.  .  .  . 

I  hope  you  now  admit  that  England  has  its  share  of  heat  and 
sunshine  :  you  might  be  indignant  could  you  hear  even  me  com- 
plaining of  the  heat  as  I  do  now.  .  .  . 

Habitual  ugliness  has  overtaken  my  letters — pardon. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Roehamptdn. 

[This  letter  relates  to  the  very  alarming  illness  of  Dante  Rossetti, 
then  staying  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Hake  at  Roehampton.  He  was  at 
first  supposed  to  be  struck  down  by  serous  apoplexy,  and  likely  to 
die,  with  the  "  one  fearful  alternative  "  of  loss  of  reason. — Mr. 
[Henry  Treffry]  Dunn  was  his  art-assistant. — Christina  was  herself  at 
this  time  confined  to  bed  with  her  malady,  and  not  capable  of 
moving ;  whereas  our  Mother  and  Maria,  along  with  myself,  were 
for  two  or  three  days  housed  by  Dr.  Hake.] 


[56   EUSTON   SQUARE. 

10  June  1872.] 

My  own  dear  William, 

Thankyou  warmly  for  your  note  received  before  4  last 
night :  it  helped  me — with  its  comparatively  hopeful  news — to 
get  soundly  to   sleep  at  last.     I  have   now  seen  Mr.  Brown  fresh 


36  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

from  Mr.  Marshall,  but  before  this  reaches  you  he  will  have  told 
you  what  he  told  me.  I  know  not  (having  heard  of  one  fearful 
alternative)  what  to  hope :  but  with  my  whole  heart  I  commit  our 
extremity  to  Almighty  God. 

My  love,  please,  to  dearest  Mamma  and  Maria.  I  am  getting  on 
capitally,  and  Aunt  Eliza  nurses  me  most  kindly  :  her  love  to  all,  and 
mine  too  if  it  could  reach  Gabriel.  Lucy  called  this  morning  full  of 
grief  and  sympathy.    I  have  seen  Mr.  Dunn's  telegram  to  Mr.  Brown. 

No  letter  has  come  to  be  sent  on. 


To  William  Rossetti,  London. 

[Trowan,  a  farmhouse  near  Crieff  in  Perthshire,  was  the  place 
where  Dante  Gabriel  was  now  recruiting  his  health,  in  company  with 
Dr.  and  Mr.  George  Hake. — The  phrase  "  paint  all  a  lover's  smart " 
&c.  refers  to  a  funny  poem  by  Thomas  Hood,  called  Love  Lane, 
which  afforded  many  a  laugh  to  Christina  and  the  rest  of  us  from 
of  old.  Hood  shows  how  a  lover  in  a  rural  retreat  paid  court  to  his 
fair  one,  interrupted  by  various  too-attentive  insects,  &c. — 

"  And  painted  all  a  lover's  smart, 
Except  a  wasp  gone  up  his  arm."] 


GLOTTENHAM. 
31  Augnsl  1872. 

My  dear  William, 

I  have  never  yet  thanked  you  direct  for  the  loan  of  those 
funny  German  caricatures  you  sent  me  a  while  ago.  The  stork's  nest 
in  a  hoop,  and  the  frog  ill  for  three  weeks,  are  good — so  indeed  are 
many  more. 

Mamma,  with  love  and  warm  expression  of  joy  at  the  excellent 
news  from  Trowan,  returns  herein  the  Hake  correspondence.  Such 
friends  as  Dr.  Hake  and  his  son  are  rarer  and  more  precious  than 
gold.  I  wrote  to  Gabriel,  not  quite  certain  how  my  letter  might 
answer ;  but  now  I  am  thoroughly  re-assured,  and  rejoice  that  I  did 
so. 

One  day  here  is  so  very  like  another  that  there  is  not  much  news 


1872— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  37 

for  a  letter  even  to  my  brother  of  brothers.  Two  robins  haunt  the 
garden — one  afternoon  emmets  (?)  appeared  in  swarms.  Here  one 
might  from  time  to  time  "  paint  all  a  lover's  smart,  except "  (happily 
not  a  wasp,  but  say)  "a  midge  gone  up  his  arm.  .  .  ." 

We  expect  to  return  home  on  the  nth*  and  soon  after  I  may 
keep  house  with  you,  as  in  old  days,  in  much  harmony. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  Stauros  Dilberoglue  was  a  Greek  merchant  in  the  City 
of  London,  a  man  of  fine  character  and  more  than  average  ability. 
He  had  recently  lost  his  wife,  and  asked  Christina  to  accept  one  of 
her  belongings,  an  Indian  shawl. — For  the  wedding  of  Dr.  Francis 
Hueffer  and  Cathy  Brown,  Sir  Lawrence  Alma-Tadema  painted 
portraits  of  the  couple  framed  jointly :  I  have  now  forgotten  what 
the  quotation  was,  but  it  was  something  from  which  an  evil  omen 
might  have  been  drawn. — Christina's  "fearful  brownness "  was  one 
of  the  symptoms  of  her  illness,  and  was  indeed  highly  observable. — 
Madame  Bodichon  was  that  excellent  lady  known  earlier  as  Miss 
Barbara  Leigh-Smith :  she  had  an  estate  in  Sussex  not  far  from 
Glottenham. — Dante  Gabriel  was  at  this  date  still  in  Scotland,  and 
there  was  some  likelihood  that  he  would  not  only  not  return  thence 
direct  to  Tudor  House,  Chelsea,  but  would  even  see  about  wholly 
quitting  that  house  and  living  elsewhere  in  or  near  London.  As  a  fact, 
he  settled  for  many  months  at  Kelmscott  Manorhouse,  Oxfordshire, 
and  then  returned  to  Tudor  House.] 

GLOTTENHAM. 

[5  September  1872.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thankyou  for  your  dear  letter  received  this  morning.  I 
am  quite  delighted  with  the  Indian  shawl,  Mr.  Dilberoglue's  generous 
present ;  and  suppose  it  may  be  the  handsomest  gift  I  ever  in  my 
life  received. 

I  am  so  glad  Maria  enjoyed  Cathy's  wedding-feast,  and  that  your 
shawl  shone  amongst  the  presents.  Also  I  am  pleased  that  the 
bridal  portrait  includes  my  neglige'e,  but  not  pleased  at  the  inap- 
propriate dismalness  of  the  quotation  by  Alma  Tadema.  I  hope 
Dr.  Hiiffer  is  not  superstitious. 


38  CHRISTINA   RQSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Please  do  not  think  me  obstinate  for  returning  home  with  Mamma 
on  the  nth,  despite  your  and  Maria's  kindness.  I  feel  languid  and 
sometimes  low  here,  besides  another  inconvenient  symptom,  and 
think  that  I  may  have  to  consult  Dr.  Wilson  Fox  not  long  after  my 
return.     Pro  you  will  find  me  fatter ;  contra  of  a  fearful  brownness. 

Mme.  Bodichon's  kindness  adds  considerably  to  our  pleasure  here, 
and  certainly  she  is  a  charming  woman. 

Dear  old  Gabriel — I  incline  to  hope  very  earnestly  that  he  will  not 
return  to  Chelsea.  I  am  so  sorry  for  your  inconvenience  in  sleeping 
at  Tudor  House. 


To  Dante  Rossetti,  Kelmscott. 

[Though  Christina  did  not  comprehend  the  inscription,  there  is 
nothing  difficult  in  it,  if  only  one  remembers  a  certain  phrase  in 
Dante's  Paradiso.  The  medal,  bronze,  is  a  good  work  of  art,  done 
by  Signor  Cerbara.] 


17    ROBERTSON   TERRACE,    HASTINGS. 

28  April  1873. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Dearest  Mamma  is  very  well  again,  and  wonderfully 
well  in  her  feet,  which  now  bear  her  about  in  comfort.  /  am  very 
well  too,  all  things  considered. 

Winter  has  been  with  us  again,  but  to-day  gives  hopes  of  spring 
or  summer  to  come.  A  Bath  chair  is  to  come  for  me  at  12.30,  to 
take  me  out  for  the  first  time  since  our  coming  down.  We  think  of 
returning  home  on  the  20th  May,  a  little  before  William  talks  of 
going  abroad. 

Very  likely,  with  or  before  this  you  will  receive  from  Maria  in 
London  the  bronze  medal  of  our  Father  sent  from  Italy.  The 
likeness  is  not  all  we  might  desire,  but  still  the  medal  is  very 
interesting  to  us.     The  inscription  I  confess  I  do  not  yet  comprehend. 

Mrs.  Madox  Brown  and  Lucy  called  on  us  before  we  left  London, 
the  latter  looking  pale  but  not  complaining  of  illness.  What  a 
delightful  person  she  is !  .  .  . 

Our  cordial  remembrances,  please,  to  Mr.  llakc. 


i873— TO   LUCY   BROWN  39 


To  William  Rossetti,  Venice. 

56  EUSTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  N.W. 

\Tjune  1873. 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Thankyou  for  such  kind  thought  of  me  and  my 
health.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  better  I  am  ;  downstairs  again, 
and  with  some  latitude  as  to  going  out.  Maria  came  home  from 
Eastbourne  yesterday,  looking  well,  and  feeling  also  better ;  though 
we  still  have  cause  for  anxiety  about  her.  Her  love  to  you  ;  and,  a 
size  bigger,  our  Mother's. 

Mamma  and  I  are  thinking  of  Kelmscott :  Gabriel  has  been  written 
to,  and  we  are  now  awaiting  his  answer.  .  .  . 

To-day  I  got  an  application  for  leave  to  insert  Uphill  in  a  Tauchnitz 
vol.  of  poetry  :  Yes,  of  course.  The  letter  is  apparently  from  Amelia 
B.  Edwards — at  least,  I  hope  it  is  the  autograph.  .  .  . 

My  looks  have  met  with  some  amount  of  approval. 


To  Lucy  Brown  [Rossetti]. 

[This  letter  was  written  (as  its  terms  indicate)  as  soon  as  Christina 
had  received  notice  of  the  engagement  between  Lucy  Brown  and 
myself.] 

THE  manor  house,  KELMSCOTT,  LECHLADE. 

\oJuly  1873. 
My  DEAR,   DEAR  LuCY, 

I  should  like  to  be  a  dozen  years  younger,  and  worthier 
every  way  of  becoming  your  sister ;  but,  such  as  I  am,  be  sure  of  my 
loving  welcome  to  you  as  my  dear  sister  and  friend.  I  hope  William 
will  be  all  you  desire ;  and,  as  I  know  what  he  has  been  to  me,  a 
most  loving  and  generous  brother,  I  am  not  afraid  of  his  being  less 
than  a  devoted  husband  to  you.  May  love,  peace,  and  happiness, 
be  yours  and  his  together  in  this  world,  and  together  much  more  in 
the  next ;  and,  when  earth  is  an  anteroom  to  heaven  (may  it  be  so, 
of  God's  mercy  to  us  all),  earth  itself  is  full  of  beauty  and  goodness. 


40  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  WlI-LIAM    ROSSETTI,  Lofidon. 

THK   MANOR   HOUSE,    KELMSCOTT,  LECHLADE. 

lO  July  1873. 

My  very  dear  William, 

You  have  brought  a  fresh  spring  of  happiness  and  interest 
into  our  family,  and  the  kindness  with  which  your  letter  alludes  to 
me  in  one  general  sentence  is  warm  in  my  heart.  Who  shall  wish 
you  well  except  the  sister  whom  you  have  cared  for  all  her  life?  If 
dear  Lucy  and  you  are  as  happy  as  I  would  (if  I  could)  make 
you,  earth  will  be  the  foretaste  and  stepping-stone  to  heaven.  Her 
sweetness,  amiability,  and  talent,  make  her  a  grace  and  honour  to  us 
— but  I  need  not  state  this  to  you.  .  .  . 

How  much  will  have  to  be  settled  when  Mamma  returns  home ! 
I  had  a  little  friendly  chat  with  Mrs.  Brown  this  morning,  and  find 
her  and  hers  as  full  of  welcome  as  we  are.  I  have  ventured  to  write 
affectionately  to  Lucy. 


To  Dante  Rossetti,  Kelmscott. 

[Dizi,  called  more  properly  Dizzy  in  some  published  letters  of 
Dante  Rossetti,  was  a  black-and-tan  terrier,  of  ample  canine  sagacity.] 


56  EUSTON  square,  LONDON,  N.W. 

{July  1873.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

The  delightful  life  at  Kelmscott  ought  not  soon  to  slip  from 
my  memory,  nor  ought  I  soon  to  forget  whose  kindness  provided  me 
with  so  many  pleasures.  Our  mother,  with  a  most  maternal  love, 
joins  me  in  recording  the  pleasures  of  our  visit  to  you.  Our 
journey  home  was  completely  prosperous.  Once  in  the  railway 
carriage,  Dizi  behaved  very  well :  at  Oxford,  instead  of  the  servant 
Mr.  Hake  had  promised  to  send,  two  gentlemen  (the  two  Mr. 
Mackays  I  conclude)  took  us  all  in  charge  and  relieved  us  of  all 


i873— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  41 

trouble.  Of  course  you  have  heard  since ;  but  they  gave  us  an  excel- 
lent account  of  Mr.  Hake,  who  had  his  doctor's  permission  to  go  out 
the  following  day.  When  you  see  that  most  amiable  of  men  pray 
remember  us  both  most  cordially  to  him ;  he  was  a  marked  element 
in  our  enjoyment  .  .  . 

To-day  all  the  Browns  are  engaged  to  dine  here.  Yesterday  I 
called  in  Fitzroy  Sq.,  and  already  Lucy  has  paid  her  respects  to 
Mamma  in  this  house.  She  is  as  sweet  and  engaging  as  ever  in  her 
new  position,  and  there  seems  promise  of  happiness  to  come  .  .  . 


To  Oliver  Madox  Brown. 

[Oliver  Brown,  aged  eighteen,  was  now  about  to  publish  his  first 
novel  entitled  Gabriel  Denver ;  at  a  later  date  it  was  re-issued 
(cutting  out  some  alterations  which  had  been  introduced  to  conciliate 
the  publishers)  under  the  name  of  The  Black  Siuan?\ 

56   EUSTON   SQUARE. 

[C.>/ri873.] 
My  dear  Nolly, 

Thankyou  very  warmly  for  permitting  us  to  read  Gabriel 
Denver  in  proof.  My  Mother  joins  me  in  admiration  of  the  talent 
of  which  it  is  full ;  which  realizes  and  conveys  so  vividly,  and  wields 
both  power  and  beauty.  I  like  touches  about  animals,  and  sympathy 
with  their  poor  little  cares  and  fortunes.  What  I  do  not  like  (if  you 
will  suffer  my  boldness)  are  the  characters  of  your  principal  person- 
ages. Surely  they  are  detestable ;  unless  Laura's  weakness  saves 
her  from  so  strong  a  brand.  Still,  I  am  happy  the  two  gained  the 
shore.  .  .  . 


To  WiLLLMM  RossETTi,  Sojucrsct  House. 

[I  quite  forget  what  Christina's  "  ebullition  of  temper "  may 
have  been  :  can  safely  say  it  was  a  trifle.  Her  "  sleeping  in  the 
library"  (the  back  parlour)  was  remedied  by  her  sleeping,  with  our 
mother,  in  the  back  drawing-room.  Thus,  following  the  date  of  my 
marriage,  31  March  1874,  things  continued  until  Michaelmas  1876, 
when  they  two  removed  to  another  house,  30  Torringlon  Square.] 


42  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


56   EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

[5  Noi'cnibcr  1873.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  am  truly  sorry  for  my  ebullition  of  temper  this  morning 
(and  for  a  hundred  other  faults),  and  not  the  less  so  if  it  makes  what 
follows  seem  merely  a  second  and  more  serious  instance. 

My  sleeping  in  the  library  cannot  but  have  made  evident  to  you 
how  improper  a  person  I  am  to  occupy  any  room  next  a  dining-room. 
My  cough  (which  surprised  Lucy,  as  I  found  afterwards,  the  other 
day  at  dinner),  .  .  .  makes  it  unseemly  for  me  to  be  continually  and 
unavoidably  within  earshot  of  Lucy  and  her  guests.  You  I  do  not 
mention,  so  completely  have  you  accommodated  yourself  to  the  trying 
circumstances  of  my  health:  but,  when  a  "love  paramount"  reigns 
amongst  us,  even  you  may  find  such  toleration  an  impossibility.  I 
must  tell  you  that  not  merely  am  I  labouring  under  a  serious  relapse 
into  heart-complaint  and  consequent  throat-enlargement  (for  which  I 
am  again  under  Sir  William  Jenner's  care),  but  even  that  what 
appeared  the  source  of  my  first  illness  has  formed  again,  and  may 
for  aught  I  can  warrant  once  more  have  serious  issues. 

The  drift  of  all  this  is  that  (through  no  preference  for  me  over 
you  as  you  may  well  believe,  but  because  of  my  frail  state  which 
lays  me  open  to  emergencies  requiring  help  from  which  may  you 
long  be  exempt)  our  Mother,  if  I  am  reduced  to  forego  all  your 
brotherly  bounty  provides  for  me,  will  of  her  own  unhesitating 
choice  remove  with  me.  We  believe  that  from  all  sources  we  shall 
have  enough  between  us,  and  you  know  that  our  standard  of  comfort 
does  not  include  all  the  show  demanded  by  modern  luxury.  I  have 
very  little  doubt  that  an  arrangement  may  be  entered  into  which 
shall  lodge  us  under  one  roof  with  my  Aunts ;  thus  securing  to  us 
no  despicable  amount  of  cheerful  companionship,  and  of  ready  aid 
in  sickness. 

Dear  William,  I  should  not  wonder  if  you  had  been  feeling  this 
obvious  difficulty  very  uncomfortably,  yet  out  of  filial  and  brotherly 
goodness  had  not  chosen  to  start  it :  if  so,  I  cannot  rejoice  enough 
that  my  perceptions  have  woke  up  to  some  purpose. 

I  do  not  know  whether   any   possible  modification  (compatible 


i874— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  43 

with  all  our  interests,  and  not  least  with  Lucy's)  may  occur  to  you 
as  to  arrangements  ;  to  me,  I  confess,  there  scarcely  seems  any  way 
out  of  the  difficulty  short  of  a  separation.  Perhaps  in  a  day  or  so 
you  will  let  Mamma  or  me  know  what  you  judge  best. 

Of  course  Mamma  is  in  grief  and  anxiety ;  her  tender  heart 
receives  all  stabs  from  every  side. — If  you  wonder  at  my  writing 
instead  of  speaking,  please  remember  my  nerves  and  other  weak 
points. 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Kelmscott. 

["  My  book  "  is  Annus  Domini^  which  contains  a  prefatory  poem. 
— By  "  a  story  of  mine,"  Christina  meant  the  Speaking  Likenesses. 
Mr.  Arthur  Hughes  was  secured  as  illustrator  of  the  volume.  Mr. 
James  Smetham,  a  painter  well  known  to  and  valued  by  Dante 
Rossetti,  is  esteemed  now  in  virtue  of  some  of  his  writings  as  well.] 


SOUTHSEA   HOUSE,    MARINE   PARADE,    EASTBOURNE. 

4  May  1874. 

My  DEAR  Gabriel, 

It  is  worth  while  molesting  you  with  words,  because  I  can 
tell  you  that  our  dearest  Mother  really  has  rallied  at  this  nice  place. 
She  goes  out  for  her  little  walks,  her  little  sits,  her  church,  and  I 
hope  is  on  the  mend  for  this  long  while  to  come.  Her  dear  love  to 
you ;  and  Maria's  love  as  genuinely,  though  I  fear  we  shall  soon  lose 
Maria  from  our  hearth  in  favour  of  her  new  "  Home." 

Our  sitting-room  here  reminds  me  of  beloved  Kelmscott,  though 
I  fear  you  would  draw  the  line  at  its  wall-paper.  Its  crossbeam  in 
the  ceiling  you  should  not  demur  to. 

Thankyou  for  all  the  kind  thought  you  have  taken  in  finding  what 
to  say  of  my  book.  I  despaired  of  your  saying  aught  for  its  verse. 
Elsewhere  I  have  had  a  few  pleasant  mentions  of  it,  but  nothing 
especially  cut  out  for  report  to  you.  I  hear  Mrs.  Scott  with  Miss  Boyd 
have  called  in  Euston  Square  since  we  left,  and  that  the  former  likes 
my  little  book,  I  having  sent  it  her. 

Do  you  see  (what  I  am  told  through  two  or  three  reporters,  for  I 
have  not  myself  seen  it)  that  The  Aihenccuin  has  announced  a  story 


44  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

of  mine  to  come  out  with  Macmillan  ?  Funnily  enough,  I  did  not 
know  matters  were  concluded  between  Mac  and  me,  but  now  I  hope 
they  are.  I  tried  to  get  the  illustrations  for  Hughes,  and  secondarily 
for  Smetham,  but  know  not  whether  with  any  result.  The  story  is 
merely  a  Christmas  trifle,  would-be  in  the  Alice  style  with  an  eye  to 
the  market.  .  .  . 

Our  remembrances,  please,   most  cordially  to  Mr.  Hake.     I  am 
very  much  better  for  this  pleasant  change. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Naples. 

[Dr.  Littledale  may  be  remembered  as  a  high-church  clergyman 
who  wrote  various  books.  He  was  an  Irishman,  and,  though  highly 
serious  in  his  public  capacity,  full  of  agreeable  pleasantry  in 
private.] 

SOUTHSEA   HOUSE,    MARINE   PARADE,    EASTBOURNE. 

15  May  1874. 

My  dear  William, 

Most  welcomely  your  nice  little  card  of  news  has  reached 
our  Mother  this  morning,  and  has  assured  us  of  Lucy  and  your  safe 
return  home.  To  think  that  you  two  now  have  one  home  and  one 
heart — may  they  be  full  of  peace,  love,  and  happiness. 

Mamma,  Aunt  C,  and  Aunt  E.,  join  me  in  two  loves ;  which  two 
are  the  largest  couple  you  will  know.  .  .  . 

We  fully  expect  (d.v.)  to  dine  with  you  on  Saturday  23,  and  re- 
pitch  our  tents  at  home.  My  Aunts  mean  to  return  to  Bloomsbury 
Sq.  the  same  day.  .  .  . 

I  have  heard  again  from  Mr.  Macmillan,  and  find  he  is  treating 
with  Mr.  Arthur  Hughes  about  illustrating  my  Christmas  story ;  so 
of  course  this  is  accepted,  to  my  great  contentment.  He  asked  me 
about  illustrators,  and  I  proposed — or  rather  I  expressed  my  own 
preference  for — A.  H. :  wherefore  I  am  pleased. 

We  are  particularly  well  lodged  here  as  to  situation,  in  nice  rooms 
and  with  nice  people.  Poor  Mamma  has  caught  cold  I  know  not 
how,  but  still  I  hope  this  will  not  neutralize  the  good  already 
achieved  :  I  myself  thrive,  and  show  mitigated  looks  to  boot.  I  hope 
Annus  Domini  has  met  with  a  fraternal  welcome  at  your  hands  and 


1''K(»m  I'eniu,  Drawings  i;v  Ciirisiina  Kossiciii. 
Animals  in  the  Zoological  Gardens,  London,  c.  1862. 


( To  /ace  />.  45. 


i874— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  45 

heart.  Various  more  or  less  pleasant  mentions  have  been  made  of 
it,  particularly  one  which  has  gratified  me  in  a  note  of  acceptance 
from  Dr.  Littledale. 

I  need  not  "  hope  "  you  have  enjoyed  this  trip. 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Kelmscott. 

[If  I  remember  right,  this  proposed  visit  of  our  mother  and 
Christina  to  Kelmscott  did  not  take  effect.  My  wife  and  I  were 
there  for  a  few  days,  and  my  brother  began  a  well-known  head  of  my 
wife  in  coloured  chalks ;  finished  soon  afterwards  when  he  had  re- 
settled in  London.] 

56   EUSTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    N.W. 

22  June  [1874]. 

Mv  DEAR  Gabriel, 

Your  letters  always  cheer  our  Mother,  as  a  country  rose 
cheers  a  Londoner,  or  the  first  Spring  day  overtakes  all  the  world. 
With  a  very  warm  love  she  acknowledges  the  pleasure  of  your  in- 
vitation (in  which  I  thankfully  claim  my  share),  and,  weighing  all 
circumstances  on  your  side  and  on  our  own,  thinks  that  Tuesday 
30th  {fiot  this  week,  but  next  week)  will  suit  us  all  for  the 
commencement  of  our  visit.  .  .  . 

Mamma  understands  from  William  this  morning  that  he  and 
Lucy  go  to  you  next  Saturday,  but  of  course  they  write  for  them- 
selves to  you.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Kelmscott. 

["  My  fruitless  apple-tree"  was  a  decorative  design  by  Christina, 
who  at  rare  intervals  adventured  upon  some  such  performance. — 
Her  Winnmg  Ways  was  a  novel  by  Dr.  Hake  published  in  a 
magazine.] 

56  EUSTON   SQUARE. 

[C.  2T,  June  1874.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

This  is  a  word  to  tell  you  the  upshot  of  my  fruitless 
"Apple-tree."  Mr.  Morris  has  written  me  a  truly  obliging  letter, 
finding  something  to  praise,  but  setting-up  a  standard  of  such  com- 


46  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

plicated  artistic  perfection  as  (I  fear)  no  alterations  of  mine  can  ever 
by  possibility  attain.  "  In  due  season  I  found  no  apples  there  "... 
Warm  thanks  to  Mr.  Hake  for  Her  Wirming  Ways,  which  Mamma 
and  I  are  reading  and  enjoying  together.  I  should  not  have 
expected  such  overflowing  punnishness  from  grave  and  dignified  Dr. 
Hake.  The  mystery  is  an  interesting  one,  and  leads  one  on,  but  we 
have  not  yet  gone  very  far. 


To  Dante  Rossetti,  Chelsea. 

["Your  beautiful  present"  was  an  old  Italian  painting,  not  of  large 
dimensions,  which  had  been  sent  to  Dante  Rossetti  by  some  unknown 
hand,  and  which  he  transferred  to  Maria.  It  was  of  some  religious 
subject,  and  he  (I  know  not  on  what  authority)  regarded  it  as  the 
work  of  Pietro  Laurati. — The  reference  to  chloral  as  taken  by  my 
wife  indicates  that,  during  an  early  stage  of  our  married  life,  she  now 
and  then  took  a  dose  to  procure  sleep.  With  her  it  acted  perfectly 
well :  but,  on  learning  that  the  reverse  was  the  case  with  my  brother, 
she  abandoned  it,  and  never  resumed  its  use. — "  Poor  Nolly " 
[Oliver  Madox  Brown]  had  recently  returned,  with  myself  and 
others,  from  a  brief  stay  in  Margate,  where  he  suffered  much  from 
pains,  at  that  time  chiefly  in  a  foot.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the 
disease,  pyaemia,  which  brought  his  life  to  a  close  on  5  November 
1874.  My  brother  was  now  re-settled  in  Cheyne  Walk.  The 
address  given  by  Christina,  12  Bloomsbury  Square,  was  the  residence 
of  our  Aunt  Eliza  Polidori,  and  (when  in  London)  Charlotte.  Our 
mother  and  Christina,  though  dwelling  with  me  in  Euston  Square,  were 
pretty  frequently  staying  with  my  aunts.] 

12   IU,OOMSBURY  SQUARE,    W.C. 

28  {September  1874]. 
Mv  DEAR  Gabriel, 

...  I  am  quite  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  Maria's  so  soon 
receiving  your  beautiful  present,  and  doubt  not  she  will  in  the  first 
instance  transport  it  to  Margaret  St.,  though  thence  I  dare  say  it 
will  soon  be  despatched  to  Eastbourne — at  least,  at  some  time.  I 
hope  7ve  shall  see  it  first.  We  saw  her  on  Saturday,  when  she 
appeared  tolerably  well  though  by  no  means  free  from  weak  points. 
Mamma  continues  admirable,  and  is  her  own  dear  gently-active  self 
again.     This  afternoon  William  paid  her  a  visit,  and  reports  Lucy 


i874— TO   DANTE   ROSSETTI  47 

and  her  family  home  again  from  Margate  :  when  she  can  sleep  with- 
out chloral  well,  I  trust  she  may  have  recovered  to  all  intents  and 
purposes.  Poor  Nolly  has  been  doubtfully  pronounced  on  by  Mr. 
Marshall,  but  his  symptoms  do  not  distinctly  declare  themselves  ;  only 
he  must  take  great  care.  I  hope  your  change  of  servants  will  prove 
a  success ;  I  should  regard  with  an  eye  of  callous  philosophy  obesity 
and  Hogarthianism,  especially  if  not  shared  by  the  housemaid.  I 
have  just  heard  from  Mrs.  Morris,  who  asked  particulars  about  East- 
bourne Hospital  for  the  sake  of  a  poor  young  Icelandic  woman  she 
is  interested  in,  and  who  has  been  quite  blind  though  now  somewhat 
bettered,  and  happily  I  was  able  to  impart  some  details  as  well  as  to 
suggest  the  way  of  obtaining  fuller  information.  I  hope  the  poor 
thing  may  benefit  if  sent  there  by  her  kind  friends.  My  Aunts  join 
in  love  to  you.  .  .  . 

I  have  now  seen  all  Mr.  Hughes's  illustrations  to  my  little  story, 
and  hope  they  are  pretty  enough  to  please  you  in  due  course. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

12    BLOOMSBURV   SQUARE,    VV.C. 

[l  Ocloher  1874.] 

Mv  DEAR  Gabriel, 

There  was  a  visible  brightening  up  amongst  us  on  receiving 
your  good-natured  proposal  of  a  second  day  together :  and  our  family 
conclave  fixes  on  either  to-morrow  Friday,  or  next  Motiday.  If  you 
do  not  write  at  all,  we  will  understand  you  to  accept  Monday,  and 
arrive  in  caravan  that  afternoon.  ...  I  hail  the  prospect  of  seeing 
again  the  Proserpine,  and  for  the  first  time  the  Veronica  :  where  in 
England  and  its  studios  is  your  peer  ? 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

56   EUSTON    SQUARE,    N.W. 

[5  November  1874.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Here  is  my  book  at  last ;  and  I  hope  Mr.  Hughes  will  meet 
with  your  approval,  even  if  you  skip  my  text. 

Do  you  know  that  poor  Nolly  is  so  extremely  ill  that  I  even  think 


48  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

it  possible  that  he  may  not  live  till  this  reaches  you  ?  He  did  survive 
last  night,  and  this  morning  Sir  W.  Jenner  and  Mr.  Marshall  are 
making  one  more  effort  to  save  his  life,  but  I  know  not  whether  with 
real  hope  of  success.  .  .  . 

My  title  page  has  a  "thereof"  which  dismays  me;  but  I  missed 
seeing  the  proof  both  of  that  and  of  the  list  of  illustrations,  of  which 
latter  I  never  thought. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  poems  of  Canon  (Richard  Watson)  Dixon  are  the  subject  of 
this  letter.] 

56   EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

[C.  20  June  1875.] 
Mv  DEAR  Gabriel, 

Many  thanks  indeed  for  bringing  Mamma  and  me  ac- 
quainted with  a  poet.  She  is  greatly  impressed  with  the  sublime 
beauty  of  some  part,  and  I  with  the  frequent  excellence  ;  also  we 
echo  some  of  your  "  ! "  Do  you  think  the  rock,  if  any,  Mr.  Dixon 
tends  to  split  on  is  dryness  ?  You  see  which  way  my  verdict  inclines, 
but  I  honour  yours.  .  .  . 

I  am  returning  Mr.  Dixon's  2  volumes  to  you,  with  this. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

["  The  three  Austins  "  were  relatives  of  my  mother — cousins  of 
some  sort.  I  question  whether  I  myself  ever  saw  any  of  them. — Dora 
Greenwell  was  of  course  the  poetess,  tolerably  well  known  to 
Christina :  by  me,  slightly  known  and  considerably  liked.] 

ALL  SAINTS   MISSION    HOME,    2   ROYAL   PARK,    CLIFTON,    BRISTOL. 

II  [Ait^i^tst  1875.] 
Mv  dear  William, 

It  seems  a  human  observance  to  write  and  announce  our 
safe  arrival  and  well-being,  and  so  I  go  on  to  do  ;  but,  as  you  know, 
news  does  not  abound  on  such  like  occasions.  .  .  .  We  are  most 
comfortably  lodged  and  entertained  here,  our  one  austere  point  being 


i875— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  49 

an  absence  of  carpets  :  all  else  abounds  and  is  excellent.  Clifton 
would  I  think  be  too  Cheltenhamy  for  you  ;  yet  a  nice  place  it  appears, 
refreshingly  tree-full,  blossoming  right  and  left,  and  suggesting  a 
highly  advantageous  St.  John's  Wood.  The  Down,  however,  far 
excels  any  feature  known  to  me  of  that  quarter,  and  affords  a  really 
good  drive.  The  stone  quarried  hereabouts  is  varied  with  fine  shades 
of  red,  and  walls  gain  greatly  by  this  circumstance.  On  some 
houses  the  great  white  magnolia  blooms,  and  on  one  to-day  I  spied 
the  rare  sight  of  a  myrtle  in  blossom.  Our  3  remaining  weeks  seem 
to  promise  much  satisfaction,  for  we  still  propose  returning  to  London 
on  the  31st. 

We  have  called  on  or  been  called  on  by  all  the  three  Austins,  but 
the  only  one  actually  seen  is  old  Mrs.  Austin.  I  also  have  paid 
private  and  personal  visits  to  Dora  Greenwell,  who  appears  a  good 
deal  invalided,  but  failed  not  to  evince  interest  on  hearing  of  your 
marriage.  .  .  .  Bristol,  by  the  by,  looks  a  picturesque  town ;  and  I 
find  there  is  a  local  zoo. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mrs.  Greenwell,  when  I  saw  her  towards  1862,  was  an  old  lady  of 
very  fine  presence  and  motherly  engaging  manner. — My  wife  and 
I  were  at  present  staying  for  a  short  while  in  Fitzroy  Square,  with 
Madox  Brown  and  his  wife.  Probably  Miss  Mathilde  Blind,  the 
poetess,  was  also  there,  and  we  may  have  offered  to  take  her  with 
us  on  our  returning  to  Euston  Square.] 


ALL  SAINTS   MISSION   HOME,    2   ROYAL   PARK,    CLIFTON,    BRISTOL. 

li-]  August  1S75.] 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

...  I  called  on  Dora  again  yesterday  and  gave  her  your 
cordial  remembrances,  which  she  returns  in  kind.  She  still  recollects 
your  kind  attentiveness  to  her  mother,  who,  old  as  she  was,  began 
reading  your  Dante  ;  and  now  she  has  her  mother's  photograph  of 
you.  Poor  thing,  her  health  is  apparently  very  much  shattered, 
though  one  Dr.  appears  not  hopeless  of  doing  her  good. 

I    recollect   Venus  Astarte^  a  noble   drawing,  and   one   which    I 
4 


50  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

hope  Gabriel  may  delight  in  painting.     ^2000  too  is,  I  suppose,  a 
good  price  even  for  his  work. 

Very  friendly  of  you  to  house  Miss  Blind.  I  hope  you  are  com- 
fortable in  Fitzroy  Sq.,  and  am  sure  you  are  all  the  more  so  by 
sympathy  with  Lucy's  period  of  comfort. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

2   ROYAL   PARK,    CLIFTON. 

[August  1875.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  was  not  thinking  of  writing  to  you  from  this  pretty  but 
civilized  (and  therefore  not  suitable  to  you)  place, — when,  last 
Saturday,  we  spent  the  day  some  six  miles  out  of"  CUfton,  at  Berwick 
Lodge,  a  house  standing  in  its  own  grounds,  which  include  an  actual 
wood,  and  the  house  itself  and  garden  and  lawn  reminding  me  of 
dear  Kelmscott.  Unlike  K[elmscott]  however,  the  garden  is  slopy, 
and  the  country  round-about  hilly  :  the  lawn  commands  a  splendid 
descent  of  fields,  ending  in  a  good  glimpse  of  the  Bristol  Channel, 
this  again  backed  at  one  part  by  distant  Welsh  mountains.  The 
house  itself  is  very  inferior  to  K[elmscott]  in  outside  beauty,  but 
inside  (I  should  say)  fully  its  equal  in  scale  and  comfort.  A  Mr. 
Lewis  is  at  present  the  landlord  ;  he  keeps  the  farm  belonging  thereto 
in  his  own  hands,  and  lets  Berwick  Lodge  with  its  grounds  and 
furniture  (which  includes  many  nice  old  things,  I  think,  and  quaint 
objects  of  art)  at  4^  guineas  per  week.  ...  I  could  not  see  this 
charming  well-wooded  place  in  a  fine  hilly  country  without  thinking 
of  you  :  and,  if  my  telling  you  about  it  serves  no  other  purpose,  it 
will  at  least  illustrate  my  impotent  good-will.  .  .  .  The  great  draw- 
back I  hear  of  is  that  in  the  hunting-season  huntsmen  overrun  the 
very  lawn  by  the  house.  I  do  not  know  how  near  the  Avon  may  or 
may  not  be.  All  I  know  is  that  it  runs  through  Bristol,  Clifton  and 
Bristol  forming  in  fact  one  town. 

Our  day  at  Berwick  Lodge  took  place  because  "  our  Superior  "  is 
staying  there  with  her  family,  and  invited  us  all  three  over  for  a  visit. 
It  came  off  pleasantly,  in  spite  of  such  a  wet  drive  home  in  an  open 
vehicle  as  might  have  depressed  a  being  less  buoyant  than  myself. 


i875— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  51 

I  think  you  know  Dora  Greenwell.  I  have  been  seeing  her  down 
here;  and  am  quite  struck  with  her  large-mindedness,  really  liking 
her.     She  is  far  more  dilapidated  than  myself,  poor  thing. 

Do  you  take  any  active  interest  counter  that  horror  of  horrors, 
Vivisection  ?  In  case  you  or  any  of  your  chums  do,  and  would  sign, 
I  enclose  a  paper  to  which  I  am  trying  to  get  names, — and  which  I 
am  sure  you  will  at  any  rate  oblige  me  by  sending  me  back  signed 
or  unsigned.  You  had  better,  please,  direct  it  to  Euston  Square, 
where  (d.v.)  we  shall  be  to-morrow. 

Mamma  and  Maria  join  in  love  to  you.  This  excursion  has  suited 
our  healths  and  our  tastes  all  round. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

12    BLOOMSBURY   SQUARE. 

{September  1875.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  am  the  more  obliged  by  your  personal  kindness  to  myself 
which  has  led  you  to  sign  though  without  thorough  agreement.  I 
used  to  believe  with  you  that  chloroform  was  so  largely  used  as  to 
do  away  with  the  horror  of  vivisection  ;  but  a  friend  has  so  urged 
the  subject  upon  me,  and  has  sent  me  so  many  printed  documents 
alleging  and  apparently  establishing  the  contrary,  that  I  have  felt 
impelled  to  do  what  little  I  could  to  gain  help  against  what  (as  I 
now  fear)  is  cruelty  of  revolting  magnitude.  Mamma  is  cut  to  the 
heart  by  details  she  has  read,  and  has  given  her  dear  name  also  to 
the  cause.  I  have  been  much  struck  by  M.  Nelaton's  verdict  on 
the  same  question ;  and,  in  case  his  name  may  have  weight  with 
you,  I  venture  to  enclose  one  fly-leaf  which  has  struck  me,  and 
which  of  course  I  will  not  trouble  you  to  return. 

My  date  shows  that  we  are  at  Bloomsbury  Square  with  my 
Aunts.  .  .  . 

We  came  home  from  Clifton  last  Tuesday,  and  on  Wednesday 
came  on  here.  William  and  Lucy  prosper,  though  the  latter  with 
various  drawbacks  at  this  particular  moment  :  perhaps  before  we  get 
home  again  you  and  I  may  own  a  small  nephew  or  niece !  .  .  . 


52  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

12    15LOOMSBURY  SQUARE. 

21  [September  1875]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

We  have  a  niece  !  Born  about  8  o'clock  ...  on  yester- 
day evening,  the  20th.  Both  mother  and  child  safe,  and  William 
our  informant  this  morning.   .  .   . 

We  think  Maria  will  soon  now  be  "professed" — and  till  then  she 
is  likely  perhaps  to  enjoy  less  leisure  than  usual :  but  she  still  has 
her  Saturday  afternoon  with  our  Mother. 

Mamma's  very  best  love  to  you. 

I  have  at  last  harvested  ^5  from  Sing-Song !  !  Both  Aunts  send 
love. 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Bogncr. 

[Rossetti  was  now  staying  at  Aldwick  Lodge,  Bognor,  whence 
Christina  had  recently  returned. — By  "  the  Lays "  she  meant 
Macaulay's  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome,  a  book  which  had  been  a  great 
favourite  with  us  in  early  days. — "Old  Mrs.  Harrison,"  the  flower- 
painter,  has  been  previously  mentioned  in  this  correspondence. — The 
term  "  my  unwieldiness  "  relates  to  the  unwieldiness  (as  pointed  out 
by  Dante  Rossetti)  of  the  title  of  a  poem  by  Christina,  The  Iniquity 
of  the  Fathers  upon  the  Children  :  he  had  proposed  as  a  substitute 
simply  Upon  the  Children. — Mr.  J.  H.  Ingram  is  now  well  known 
in  literature  as  the  biographer  of  Edgar  Poe  and  of  Marlowe,  &c.] 


56  EUSTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  N.W. 

[1S75— C.  30  November.'] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Your  letter  full  of  interest  has  been  one  of  our  Mother's 
pleasures  this  morning,  and  she  is  sending  it  on  to  Maria,  so  it  will 
do  double  duty  of  entertainment.  She  would  like  to  have  seen  your 
fine  fan  of  sea-flag  ;  and  certainly,  if  the  oyster-shell  is  as  legible  as 
your  transcript,  its  monogram  stamps  it  as  all  her  own.  Though 
we  are  no  longer  at  Aldwick  I  assure  you  we  dwell  in  a  semi-arctic 


1 875— TO   DANTE   ROSSETTI  53 

region  of  our  own,  and  truly  sorry  I  am  if  your  atmosphere  is  much 
colder  than  ours :  I  think  not  merely  the  sparrows  and  robin,  but 
even  the  thrush,  blackbird,  and  wagtails,  may  have  to  capitulate  if  you 
spread  their  board  for  them  :  perhaps  the  actual  tom-tit  may  present 
himself  on  his  least  of  legs.  .  .  . 

All  cordial  regards  from  us  both,  please,  to  Mrs.  Morris.  I  am 
sorry  our  last  parcel  proved  so  barren.  For  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield 
(about  the  size  of  3  thumbs,  and  therefore  no  burdensome  mistake) 
I  was  answerable,  as  also  for  the  Lays  which  I  thought  might 
possibly  have  become  a  book  not  universally  known  to  a  younger 
generation  than  our  own.  Now  I  have  done  up  ready  for  the  rail  6 
vols,  (one  entire  set,  that  is)  of  the  Walpole  Letters  :  and  if  these 
please  you  there  are  6  more,  and  also  an  additional  3  containing 
the  Miss  Berrys'  Journal  and  Correspondence  which  have  to  do  with 
the  same  period  and  circle,  at  your  service  .  .  . 

I  do  not  know  whether  by  rummaging  for  additions  you  will 
discover  enough  to  make  you  accept  a  copy  of  my  new  edition,  but 
f  so  I  have  one  ready  for  you  .  .  . 

Yesterday  I  received  a  letter  in  deepest  mourning,  telling  me  of 
the  death  of  old  Mrs.  Harrison,  some  of  whose  daughters  we  must 
have  known  on  and  off  for  something  Hke  30  years.  Emily,  one  of 
the  2  youngest,  wrote  to  me  :  her  Mother  (87  as  the  Daily  News 
shows)  worked  almost  to  the  very  last,  and  died  most  peacefully  in 
an  armchair.  The  kind  old  lady  whilst  I  was  so  ill  sent  me  at 
different  times  2  of  her  own  drawings — wild  roses  and  violets  ;  and 
I  am  pleased  to  find  that  I  am  now  to  receive  some  little 
remembrance. 

I  fear  you  are  right  about  my  "  unwieldiness  "  :  yet  I  am  not  sure 
that  the  half-title  you  propose  would  have  been  sufficiently  intelligible. 
William  seemed  to  think  not,  when  he  had  read  your  letter  this 
morning.  I  might  however  very  likely  have  chosen  something  briefer 
than  one  and  more  lucid  than  the  other.  .  .  . 

I  have  had  one  favorable  review  of  my  new  edition  in  the  Glasgow 
News :  I  know  of  no  other,  at  least  as  yet.  Do  you  recollect  our 
being  unable  to  identify  a  certain  "  Don  Felix  de  Salamanca  "  who 
published  my  fac-simile  in  a  N?  of  the  Pictorial  World!  He  turns 
out  to  be  a  certain  Mr.  Ingram  from  whom  I  have  heard  once  or 


54  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

twice,  and  who  would  now  like  to  send  a  notice  of  my  fresh  edition 
to  the  same  periodical :  I  have  referred  the  matter  to  Mr.  Macmillan 
for  decision. 

Our  kindest  remembrances  belong  to  Mr.  Hake,  whether  he  be  at 
Brighton  or  at  home.  I  cannot  help  thinking  B.  may  be  an  ill- 
chosen  abode  for  his  neuralgic  Father,  my  first  (and  very  severe) 
acknowledged  fit  of  neuralgia  having  overtaken  me  there  when  I 
was  1 7. 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Bognor. 

[Christina  here  replies  as  to  the  little  poem,  N'o  thank  yoti,  Jolm. 
She  says  that  John  never  "existed  or  exists";  and  this  she  must 
have  alleged  in  some  sense  not  inconsistent  with  truth,  for  I  question 
whether  in  her  whole  life  she  ever  "  told  a  lie."  Yet  John  was  not 
absolutely  mythical ;  for,  in  one  of  her  volumes  which  I  possess, 
Christina  made  a  pencil-jotting,  "  The  original  John  was  obnoxious, 
because  he  never  gave  scope  for  '  No  thank  you  ! ' "  This  John  was, 
I  am  sure,  the  marine  painter  John  Brett,  who  (at  a  date  long 
antecedent,  say  1852)  had  appeared  to  be  somewhat  smitten  with 
Christina.  I  presume  the  point  of  reconciliation  between  her  two 
rather  conflicting  statements  is  that  there  never  existed  any  John  to 
whom  "No  thank  you"  had  been,  or  could  have  been,  said.  John 
there  was,  but  not  a  John  who  was  negatived.] 

12   BLOOMSBURV  SQUARE. 

14  [December  1S75]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Your  most  kind  invitation  has  met  with  a  great  sucess  here 
though  not  (alas !)  with  good  Maria.  My  Aunts  join  in  love  and 
thanks  with  Mamma  and  me,  and  in  the  hope  of  seeing  you  at 
Christmas.  .  .  . 

Now  about  Mr.  Hake,  to  whom  our  warm  compliments — there  is 
not  the  slightest  pretence  for  his  taking  charge  of  us.  Three  of  us 
will  cherish  and  guard  the  Mamma  adequately,  wrap  her  up  like  a 
coachman,  and  hand  her  a  muff  at  the  right  moment.  Of  course  to 
see  his  kind  face  anywhere  and  at  any  moment  is  agreeable,  but  not 
to  win  sight  of  it  by  false  pretences. 

Now   for  a  little  bit  about  my  new  ed[ition].     It   gratifies   mc 


i875— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  55 

much  to  receive  your  sympathetic  praise,  and  find  you  care  to  accept 
the  copy  I  store  for  you.  The  whole  subject  of  youthful  poems 
grows  anxious  in  middle  age,  or  may  at  some  moments  appear  so ; 
one  is  so  different,  and  yet  so  vividly  the  same.  I  am  truly  sorry  if 
I  have  judged  amiss  in  including  The  Lowest  Room  ;  which  however, 
I  remind  you,  had  already  seen  light  in  Mac's  Mag,  To  my  thinking 
it  is  by  no  means  one  of  the  most  morbid  or  most  personal  of  the 
group ;  but  I  am  no  good  judge  in  my  own  cause.  As  to  "  John," 
as  no  such  person  existed  or  exists,  I  hope  my  indiscretion  may  be 
accounted  the  less ;  and  Flora  (if  that  is  the  "  next "  you  allude  to) 
surely  cannot  give  deep  umbrage.  The  latter  I  hardly  think  as  open 
to  comment  as  My  Secret :  but  this  last  is  such  a  favourite  with  me 
that  please  don't  retort  "  nor  do  I."  Further  remarks,  if  any,  when 
we  meet.     Till  when  and  en  permanence,  Your  &c.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Bognor. 

12   BLOOMSEURY   SQUARE. 

[1S75 — ?  22  December.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Your  letter  says  "  Ford  Junction,"  but  of  course  this 
is  a  mere  mis-write  for  "  Barnham "  ditto.  If  we  are  not  met, 
"strong-minded  loveHest  woman,"  four  strong,  can  coach  herself. 

After  impervious  density  I  begin  to  see  light  (I  think)  on  your 
objection  to  The  Lowest  Room;  and  I  already  regret  having  in- 
serted it,  you  having  scale-dipping  weight  with  me.  Bulk  was  a 
seductive  element.  However,  as  to  date,  it  was  written  before  my 
first  volume  appeared :  so  certainly  before  Miss  J[ean]  I  [ngelow] 
misled  me  any-whither.  I  still  don't  dislike  it  myself,  but  can  lay  no 
claim  to  impartiality. 

I  met  Mr.  Cayley  at  the  Museum  on  Monday,  and,  hearing  we 
were  about  to  visit  you,  he  asked  to  be  remembered.  He  is  going  to 
pass  Christmas  with  his  family  at  Hastings. 

Maria  has  let  us  see  your  charming  letter,  herself  highly  appre- 
ciating it. 

The  hideousness  of  this  letter  I  charge  on  my  paper  costing  6d 
for  5   quires. 


56  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  Dante  Rosseiti,  Bogtwr. 

12   BLOOMSBURY   SQUARE,    LONDON. 

[1876—?  January.  \ 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Our  good  old  friend  Mr.  Cayley  has  just  lost  his  mother, 
aged  80.  She  died  on  the  30th.  I  do  not  know  whether  you  will 
offer  him  a  word  of  sympathy  at  such  a  moment,  but  in  case  you 
will  (I  think  he  is  sensitive  to  friendly  kindness)  I  add  his  address  : — 

4  South  Crescent, 

Bedford  Square,  W.C. 

Mamma's  love  to  you,  and  both  Aunts' ;  and  a  batch  of  friendli- 
nesses to  Mr.  Hake.  We  carry  on  rubbers  here  as  at  Aldwick,  and 
with  similarly  varying  success  ;  but  here  we  draw  for  deal  and  for 
partners. 

From  Maria  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  has  little  intrinsic  importance  :  but,  as  it  is  the  only 
one  I  find  from  Maria,  whose  life  was  now  near  its  end  (she  died  in 
the  ensuing  November),  I  have  thought  it  worth  inserting.] 

all   saints,    CLIFTON. 

\a,jnly  [1876]. 

My  dear  Christina, 

Very  many  thanks  for  yours  and  all  enclosures.  I  am  to  go 
to  Eastbourne  on  the  29th — delightful  fact — and  hope  we  shall  all 
travel  together  :  arrangements  of  course  hereafter.  I  have  written  to 
S[ister]  Anne.  This  morning  I  was  very  low,  but  am  really  much 
better  this  afternoon,  and  in  a  nice  room  opposite  my  own  to  change 
the  air ;  presently  I  am  actually  going  down  to  Vespers.  Two  of  my 
class,  happening  to  come  in,  were  quite  affectionate.  They  seem 
getting  on  fairly  with  their  examination.  .  .  .  Really  matters  are 
good  about  Singsong.  ...  I  am  now  reading  Mile.  Mori,  a  very 
interesting  story  indeed  :  no  author's  name.  .  .  . 

Love  to  the  crowned  Queen  of  Dears. 


1876— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  57 

To  Dante  Rossetti,  Chelsea. 

[This  letter  indicates,  in  brief  terms,  the  impending  break-up  of 
the  common  home  of  our  mother  and  Christina  with  myself  and  my 
wife  and  child.  I  have  had  something  to  say  of  the  matter  in  my 
book  named  Some  Reminiscences,  and  need  not  enlarge  upon  it  here 
Several  letters  in  the  present  collection  certify  that  the  relations  be- 
tween my  wife  and  Christina,  though  not  unvaryingly  harmonious, 
had,  and  continued  to  have,  a  solid  basis  of  affectionate  good-will.] 

56   EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

18   {July   1S76]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  write  because  at  last  our  holiday  plans  seem  settled,  and 
we  do  so  want  to  see  you  again  before  leaving  town.  On  the  29th 
(Saturday  week,  that  is)  Mamma  and  I  hope  to  go  with  Maria  to 
Eastbourne,  and  to  remain  all  together  for  4  weeks.  ...  I  hope 
you  like  Mme.  D'Arblay  in  moderation  :  we  both  do.  The  Arabia?i 
nights  is  far  above  my  praise. 

Our  Euston  Sq.  home-party  is  broken  up  ! !  I  suppose  we  shall 
actually  move  asunder  between  this  and  (say)  Christmas  :  but  no 
wonder  that  I  do  not  exactly  know  William's  plans,  when  I  do  not 
exactly  know  even  Mamma's  on  which  my  own  are  wholly  dependent. 
On  the  whole  I  suppose  it  may  be  best  to  regroup  ourselves,  and  of 
course  we  part  friends.  William  is  cut  up,  I  think,  at  losing  our 
dearest  Mother ;  but  I  am  evidently  unpleasing  to  Lucy,  and,  could 
we  exchange  personalities,  I  have  no  doubt  I  should  then  feel  with 
her  feelings. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

all   saints   hospital,    EASTBOURNE. 

[2  August  1S76.] 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

You  will  like  to  know  that  our  Mother  got  down  very 
comfortably  last  Saturday  .  .  .  Maria  is  certainly  very  far  from  well ; 
but  I  hope  this  change  from  Clifton  to  Eastbourne  is  in  her  favour, 
as  cannot  but  be  Mamma's  dear  company  :  she  has  moreover  had 
some  advice  since  coming  down. 


58  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

In  the  way  of  news  we  see  no  one  and  do  nothing,  though  for 
daily  intercourse  our  circle  is  fairly  agreeable  and  over  our  daily 
employments  we  potter  contentedly.  I  am  exercising  my  old  craft 
of  painting  despicable  sprigs  on  note-paper  corners,  for  sale  at  \d.  per 
sheet, — for  the  good  of  the  house  ! 

Our  3  loves  to  you  3  ;  fancy  you  tripled  !  I  hope  Lucy  will  accept 
our  loves  with  more  conscious  welcome  than  will  Olivia ;  but  I  will 
not  wish  her  to  accept  them  with  a  sweeter  smile  or  a  prettier  little 
way.  .  .  . 

To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

[It  will  be  seen  that,  in  respect  of  any  past  differences,  Christina 
here  takes  blame  to  herself,  and  imputes  none  to  her  correspondent. 
There  might  be  something  to  remark  about  this,  but  the  less  said 
the  better.] 

ALL  SAINTS   HOSPITAL,    EASTBOURXE, 

{September  1876.] 

My  dear  Lucy, 

This  promises  to  be  my  last  as  well  as  my  first  letter,  for  it 
merely  announces  to  you  that  my  Mother  and  I  trust  to  be  at  home 
again  in  the  course  of  next  Saturday  afternoon.  .  .  . 

Mamma's  love  to  yourself,  and  dear  Willie,  and  her  kiss  to  her 
dear  little  grand-daughter :  please  put  me  in  also.  We  remembered 
Olive  on  the  20th,  and  I  dare  say  she  will  look  larger  than  ever  on 
our  return. 

Perhaps  you  have  heard  that  what  promises  to  be  a  comfortable 
residence  has  been  fixed  upon  for  our  home-party  in  Torrington  Sq., 
No.  30.  I  hope,  when  two  roofs  shelter  us  and  when  faults  which  I 
regret  are  no  longer  your  daily  trial,  that  we  may  regain  some  of  that 
liking  which  we  had  as  friends,  and  which  I  should  wish  to  be  only 
the  more  tender  and  warm  now  that  we  are  sisters.  Don't,  please, 
despair  of  my  doing  better. 

Our  trial  here  has  been  and  still  continues  to  be  poor  Maria's  very 
grave  indisposition.  I  know  not  what  to  think  of  it,  but  hope  that 
first-rate  medical  advice  in  London  may  be  blessed  to  her.  She  goes 
home  with  the  All  Saints  Mother  one  day  before  ourselves,  on  Friday 
morning.     Her  love  to  you  and  William  and  baby.     She  will  not  at 


1876— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  59 

present  resume  work  at  Clifton,  but  I  know  not  whether  she  may  do 
so  ultimately. 

No  news  of  Gabriel. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  am  not  sure  whether  the  photographs  here  spoken  of  formed  a 
regular  series ;  perhaps  they  were  rather  a  number  of  photographs 
from  a  variety  of  early  Italian  paintings  sent  to  Dante  Rossetti  from 
time  to  time  by  his  friend  Mr.  C.  Fairfax  Murray. — My  brother  had 
recently  been  staying  at  Broadlands,  Hampshire,  the  seat  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cowper-Temple,  soon  afterwards  Lord  and  Lady  Mount- 
Temple.  Here  he  met  Mrs.  Sumner  (a  lady  married  to  a  son  of  a 
late  Archbishop  of  Canterbury),  of  whom  he  spoke  as  resembling  the 
old  Roman  type  of  beauty,  as  embodied  in  the  elder  Agrippina.] 

56   EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

[Septei/tber  1876.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  am  writing  for  dear  Maria,  and  with  her  special  love  to 
you,  as  she  finds  herself  far  too  low  at  present  for  letter-writing.  Her 
grateful  thanks  to  you  for  the  loan  of  the  beautiful  photographs, 
which  she  hopes  to  look  through  and  delight  in  at  a  future  day ;  as 
yet  she  is  too  weak  and  exhausted  from  what  she  has  so  lately  gone 
through  to  venture  on  so  sustained  an  effort  of  attention  as  would  be 
required  to  do  them  justice.  She  also  sends  kind  regards  to  Mr. 
Dunn,  and  her  thanks  for  his  obliging  kindness  towards  her.  She  is, 
as  you  may  suppose,  very  sensible  of  the  good  will  of  old  friends ; 
and  I  am  glad  to  say  many  of  these  do  not  forget  her  in  her  devout 
retirement.  Mamma  and  I  saw  her  this  afternoon,  and  at  the  first 
moment  were  very  painfully  impressed  by  her  exhausted  condition ; 
but  she  rallied  somewhat  as  we  sat  with  her,  and  was  most  heartily 
glad  to  see  us.  She  agrees  with  you  as  to  the  Jewish  cast  of  the 
modern  Roman  type,  but  feels  that  an  "Agrippina"  is  quite  another 
matter ;  and  her  admiration  kindles  towards  your  Mrs.  Temple  and 
Mrs.  Sumner  (so  does  mine). 

We  are  all  expecting  to  remove  very  soon  now  to  Torrington 
Square  ;  my  Aunts  next  week ;  we  (I  suppose,  perhaps)  the  week  after. 
Lucy  and  baby  are  looked  for  in  the  course  of  to-morrow.  .  .  . 


6o  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

56    EUSTON   SQUARE,    N.W. 

{September  1S76.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

We  are  so  glad  to  have  understood  that  you  are  better,  and 
to  hope  the  improvement  continues, — Mamma  and  Maria  and  I, 
with  warm  loves. 

I  write  to  tell  you  how  charmed  Maria  is  with  the  photographs  you 
have  lent  her,  delighted  by  their  beauty  and  at  home  in  their 
devotion.  She  has  not  yet  looked  through  all,  her  weakened  state 
making  her  unequal  to  prolonged  effort ;  but  she  examines  a  few  at  a 
time ;  and,  having  already  reached  the  Pentecost  one,  shares  your 
admiration  of  it.  Yet  indeed  it  is  only  one  of  several  which  she 
admires  ;  the  sweet  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  charmed  her,  and 
I  noticed  her  special  admiration  of  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen, 
I  am  not  sure  whether  even  she  will  be  able  to  arrange  in  order  the 
whole  series,  but  we  shall  see. 

Her  health,  poor  dear,  continues  to  make  us  very  anxious,  fluctu- 
ating frequently  but  not  distinctly  rallying.  Yet  she  has  regained  a 
measure  of  strength ;  but  then  other  symptoms  feed  our  uneasiness 
and  check  our  hopes.  She  is  so  very  good  and  patient  that  we  need 
only  regret  her  state  for  our  own  sakes,  not  for  hers.  Mamma  and  I 
are  going  continually  to  and  fro  to  sit  with  her. 

We  expect  to  move  into  Torrington  Square,  No.  30,  on  Monday, 
or  at  latest  Tuesday.     Aunt  Charlotte  is  in  town  again. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30   torrington    SQUARI''. 

{September  1S76.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  really  like  to  let  you  know  a  little  earlier  about  dear 
Maria.  We  were  able  to  stay  with  her  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
yesterday,  she  talking  feebly,  deeply  interested  in  your  letter  which 
she  had  read  before  our  arrival.   .   .   .   'Hie  All  Saints  Mother,  talking 


1876— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  61 

to  Aunt  Charlotte,  intimated  (as  I  understand)  quite  clearly  her 
hopelessness  of  recovery,  but  describes  the  dear  thing's  own  mental 
readiness  as  such  that  it  would  need  an  act  of  resignation  on  her  part 
to  resign  herself  to  life ;  her  one  grief  is  on  our  Mother's  account. 
Surely  through  the  darkness  God  compasses  her  around.  .  .  .  How 
loveable  of  Mrs.  Cowper-Temple  to  propose  receiving  and  nursing 
our  poor  darling. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Bellevne  House,  Newlyn. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C.,    LONDON. 

[9  October  1876.] 

My  dear  William, 

There  is  no  great  change  from  day  to  day  in  our  dear 
Maria,  but  all  I  believe  tends  in  the  direction  we  dread.  If  I  do 
not  write  again  very  soon,  please  conclude  that  it  is  because  her 
condition  does  not  vary  very  appreciably.  But  her  strength  has 
diminished,  and  her  discomfort,  I  am  sorry  to  believe,  has  increased. 
Gabriel  paid  her  a  very  loving  visit  last  Friday,  sitting  with  her 
between  one  and  two  hours  I  think,  quite  composed,  tender,  and 
conversible.  We  left  together,  he  bringing  me  home  in  his  fly ; 
when  he  came  in,  saw  Mamma  and  liked  our  dining-room.  He  was 
by  no  means  looking  his  best ;  but  was  able  to  report  freedom  from 
limb-pains,  and  continued  improvement  in  sleep  combined  with 
greatly  diminished  chloral. 

Mamma  joins  me  in  love  to  Lucy,  yourself,  and  Olivia.  .  .  . 

This  house  is  far  on  towards  being  comfortable  now,  and  will  I 
think  be  very  much  so  when  thoroughly  settled.  I  dare  say  Uncle 
Henry  will  soon  be  here  on  a  visit,  as  both  my  Aunts  have  invited 
him. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Newlyn. 

[It  will  be  understood  that  "Sister  Eliza"  was  one  of  the  inmates 
of  All  Saints  Home  :  no  reference  is  here  made  to  Eliza  Polidori. 
This  Sister  Eliza,  whom  I  saw  a  few  times,  appeared  to  me  a  most 
excellent  woman,  a  genuine  Christian  of  the  cheerful-minded  (not 
naturally  ascetic)  class.     She  was  not  a  person  of  high  education. 


62  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

but  must  have  made  a  mark  in  her  vocation,  for  in  1907  I  saw  a 
little  newspaper-paragraph  devoted  to  her,  announcing  her  death. — 
On  receiving  this  letter  at  Newlyn,  I  with  my  wife  and  baby  resolved 
to  return  to  London.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

12  October  1876. 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

.  .  .  Poor  dear  Maria  must  be  tapped  once  more,  so  rapidly 
does  the  fluid  collect ;  and  any  day  for  3  days  to  come  may  be  the 
one  for  the  operation.  She  is  heavenly-minded,  brave  and  calm; 
indeed  the  grief  is  ours,  and  the  dread  ours,  much  rather  than  hers. 
The  greatest  care  has  to  be  observed  so  as  not  to  over-fatigue  her 
now,  and  her  frequent  fits  of  exhaustion  make  it  difficult  to  be 
careful  enough :  even  Mamma  has  once  or  twice  had  to  curtail  her 
visit.  Of  course  we  were  with  her  this  afternoon,  and  we  trust  to  go 
to-morrow  as  usual :  should  the  operation  intervene  and  make  any 
difference  as  to  our  going,  Sister  Eliza  will  write.  She  (Sister  Eliza) 
is  so  sympathetic  and  loving  as  actually  to  soothe  our  dear  Mother 
in  her  great  grief.  You  must  already  be  prepared  without  my  telling 
you  for  anything  I  may  have  to  write  :  though  please  God  to  avert 
it, — nor  do  I  know  but  that  my  apprehensions  may  be  magnifying 
the  immediate  risk.  .  .  . 

Our  move  has  proved  less  horrible  than  I  prefigured,  and  I  believe 
Mamma  echoes  the  sentiment.  Now  we  are  far  on  towards  shaking 
down  into  our  fresh  groove,  and  it  promises  to  prove  a  suitable  and 
comfortable  one.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,  Nezvlyn. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

[14  October  1876.] 
My  dear  William, 

I  make  haste  to  assure  you  that  dear  Maria  went  happily 
through  the  second  operation  this  morning,  and  has  experienced 
great  consequent  relief.     To-day  she  must  be  kept  extremely  quiet  : 


1876— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  63 

to-morrow  our  Mother  and  I  hope  to  see  her  in  the  afternoon.  Our 
first  report  about  her  actually  came  to  us  from  our  invariably  kind 
friend  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  made  enquiries  with  his  wife  at  the 
Home  to-day,  and  who  wrote  immediately  to  comfort  Mamma.  We 
are  warmed  up  with  affectionate  gratitude  to  him. 

We  had  an  enjoyable  visit  from  Gabriel  last  night,  who  has  now 
seen  more  of  this  house  and  likes  it.  He  was  tenderly  concerned 
for  poor  Maria,  and  I  have  just  written  to  him  the  good  news.  Of 
course  however  we  must  expect  recurrent  exhaustion  and  anxiety 
later  on,  but  the  present  affords  ample  scope  for  thankfulness.  He 
himself  appeared  very  fairly  well,  and  still  enjoys  improved  rest  at 
nights. 

The  other  day  amongst  old  music  Mamma  found  a  set  of  airs, 
accompaniments  to  our  father's  improvisations, — and  she  has  trans- 
ferred them  to  Euston  Sq.  thinking  you  may  value  them.  All  always 
with  her  dear  love  to  you.  Our  loves  also  to  Lucy  and  funny  Uttle 
Baby. 

I  wonder  whether  you  in  Cornwall  have  less  rain  than  we  have  in 
London  :  7ue  have  had  a  good  deal,  yet  this  afternoon  shows  bright- 
ness. So  let  me  wish  you  brightness  within,  radiating  into  a 
correspondent  outward  brightness,  come  shine,  come  storm. 


To  William  Rossettj,  Lofidon. 

["  Mr.  Cayley's  Homer  "  is  a  translation  of  The  Iliad  in  quantitative 
hexameters :  whether  an  arduous  and  scholarly  enterprise  I  need  not 
say — nor  yet  whether  a  rather  exhausting  one  for  a  mere  English 
reader  to  tackle.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

[27   October  1876.] 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that  the  little  improvement 
in  our  dear  Maria  has  continued  to-day,  at  least  till  we  saw  her  this 
afternoon.  .  .  .  She  sends  you  and  yours  her  love ;  and  informs  you 
that,  if  you  would  like  any  day  to  see  her  about   xi   o'clock  (the 


64  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

afternoons  are  reserved   for  our    Mother),   your  way  would   be  to 
write  to 

The  Revd.  Mother 

All  Saints  Home 

82  Margaret  St. 
W. 
.  .  .  That  Maria  enjoys  seeing   you  is  quite  certain,  and  the  only 
uncertainty  is  whether  at  a  given  moment  she  could  indulge  herself 
so  far.  .  .  . 

The  Gladstone  has  accepted  the  dedication  of  Mr.  Cayley's 
Homer :  I  hope  this  will  help  to  launch  the  grand  work,  which  yet 
needs  no  such  help. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    W.C. 

[24  November  1876.] 

Mv  DEAR  Gabriel, 

You  see  my  black  edge.  This  afternoon  (at  between  half 
past  I  and  a  quarter  to  2,  about)  our  dear  Maria  died  peacefully. 
Part  of  the  morning  she  suffered  a  good  deal  of  distress,  and 
her  mind  seemed  to  wander :  but  before  quite  the  end  she  was 
quiet,  with  no  more  sign  of  suffering  than  must  go  with  such  a 
transition.  I  think  even  in  her  confusion  of  thought  that  I  once 
perceived  her  mind  to  be  fixed  on  you  and  William. 

Our  dearest  Mother  is  bearing  her  sorrow  with  that  peace  which 
the  world  neither  gives  nor  takes  away. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

21  December  [1876]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Mamma  is  like  yourself  strongly  against  externs,  and  I 
feel  sure  Lucy  will  not  fail  to  restrict  herself  to  family.  6  o'clock  is 
admirable  for  all,  and  I  trust  we  shall  thus  all  meet  in  Euston  Sq.  I 
will  write  now  and  accept  definitively  her  outstanding  invitation,  for 


1877— FROM    CAYLEY  65 

we  lagged   in  hopes  of  ascertaining  your  plans    before   clenching 
ours. 

Dearest  Mamma's  love  to  you.  '  In  one  way  Christmas,  drawing 
us  all  together,  seems  yet  to  draw  us  nearest  of  all  to  dear  Maria 
keeping  her  unexampled  Christmas. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 
[I  am  unable  to  say  which  of  Christina's  poems  is  here  referred  to.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

I  January  [1877]. 

My  DEAR  Gabriel, 

Our  dearest  Mother  votes  for  11.30,  and  I  echo. 

You  shall  see  one  or  two  pieces  more ;  but  the  one  I  sent  you  is 
a  favourite  of  my  own,  and  I  doubt  if  you  will  unearth  one  to  eclipse 
it :  moreover,  if  I  remember  the  mood  in  which  I  wrote  it,  it  is 
something  of  a  genuine  "  lyric  cry,"  and  such  I  will  back  against  all 
skilled  labour.  I  will  either  hand  you  my  infinitesimal  budget  of 
pieces  to-morrow,  or  I  will  send  it  you  afterwards  :  but  please  respect 
my  thin  skin  and  do  not  start  the  subject  in  public.  .  .  . 

Dear  Mamma's  love  to  you. 

From  Charles  Cayley. 

[This  extract  comes  out  of  a  half-letter  without  a  beginning. 
I  preserve  it  here  because  it  shows  the  origin  of  Christina's  little 
poem,  My  Mouse — i.  e.  a  Sea-mouse.  I  do  not  remember  the  phrase 
"  demons  in  shrouds  "  as  occurring  in  any  writing  by  my  sister ;  nor 
do  I  know  what  its  application  may  have  been — probably  to  the 
appearance  of  some  animal  of  a  low  grade  in  zoology.  A  cuttle-fish 
in  its  first  preparatory  form  might  perhaps  suggest  the  notion  of  a 
demon  in  shroud.] 

2  January  1877. 

.  .  .  There  is  another  thing  I  am  more  diffident  about  presenting : 
it  is  called  in  Sussex  a  seamouse,  but  by  naturalists  more  politely 
Aohrodita  aculeata,  or  needly  Venus  ;  and  might  be  received  by  you 
5 


66  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

as  a  compatriot  of  your  "demons  in  shrouds";  it  has  bright  many- 
coloured  scales.  On  the  other  hand,  I  did  not  see  my  way  to  dry 
it ;  so  I  put  it  in  spirits  of  wne — not  without  fears  for  my  carpet- 
bag's contents ;  this  may  seem  a  drawback.  With  best  wishes  for 
the  new  year. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  relates  chiefly  to  the  details  of  my  sister's  poem, 
Mirrors  of  Life  afid  Death,  published  in  T/ie  AthencEian  of  1 7 
March  1877.  The  "La  Valliere  date  "was  apparently  required  in 
connexion  with  another  poem,  Sister  Louise  de  la  Miscricordei] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[?  12  March  1877.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Please  remark  that  I  have  adopted  your  o?nissioji  of "  sun 
of"  and  your  re-arrange  metit :  and  wink  at  my  mouse  and  mole  from 
whom  I  cannot  wean  myself.  I  have,  however,  woven  in  a  few  fresh 
"  mirrors,"  and  some  of  these  tone  down  (I  hope)  any  abruptness  of 
the  m.  and  w.  Now  my  little  piece  satisfies  myself,  and  I  shall  be 
very  glad  if  it  goes  under  your  auspices  to  the  At/ienceum,  though  I 
would  have  spared  you  further  trouble  by  acting  for  myself  now  that 
I  am  old  enough  and  tough  enough.  The  alternative  of  a  declinal  I 
must  brave ;  at  the  worst  it  will  not  be  my  first  experience  in  the 
same  line.  As  to  my  mole  and  his  fur,  perhaps  you  have  not  noticed 
the  fact  of  his  skin  having  no  right-and-wrong  way  of  the  grain  (as, 
for  instance,  a  cat's  has) :  it  grows  like  the  biasless  nap  of  velvet,  and 
as  a  naturalistic  fact  this  is  explained  as  adapting  him  to  his  career  of 
grubbing  to  and  fro.  I  hope  this  specialty  is  well  enough  known  for 
my  couplet  to  convey  its  drift ;  at  any  rate  I  will  run  the  risk  and 
enlarge  the  public  mind. — My  "  la  Valliere "  date  was  more  tire- 
some to  you  than  I  meant  it  to  be ;  to  myself  the  omission  matters 
nothing  at  all,  as  the  verses  are  of  no  present  use  and  I  can  look  up 
my  point  any  day  at  the  Museum  : — pardon  ! 

We  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  you  when  you  indulge  us,  our  Mother 
even  more  than  I.     Her  dear  love  to  you,  mediante. 


i877— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  67 

A  photograph  of  the  family  baby  being  sent  to  Florence,  Teodorico 
pronounces  her  a  PoUdori  and  Hke  Mamma :  I  do  not  see  it  myself. 

I  overlooked  "  Benignantly  hot." — Do  you  know,  I  like  it, — and 
do  not  want  to  be  exclusively  "dreamily  sweet," — nor  fancy  that  all 
the  rest  is  so. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Dante  Rossetti  was  at  this  time  wretchedly  ill,  having  lately 
required  some  surgical  attendance  from  Mr.  John  Marshall :  it  was 
not  an  illness  directly  dependent  upon  abuse  of  chloral,  though  this 
latter  may  have  tended  to  aggravate  and  prolong  it. — "  Mr.  Watts  " 
is  (I  need  scarcely  say)  Rossetti's  constant  and  devoted  friend  in 
these  years — Walter  Theodore  Watts,  whom  we  now  know  as 
Theodore  Watts-Dunton,  author  of  the  romance  of  Aylwin,  &c.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[6  August  1877.] 

My  dear  William, 

We  think  you  may  like  to  have  news  of  Gabriel  directly  on 
your  arrival  at  home  (after,  I  hope,  a  safe  and  comfortable  journey), 
so  I  write  to  let  you  find  a  letter. 

We  saw  him  yesterday.  I  cannot  say  he  is  evidently  better,  though 
Mr.  Marshall  who  saw  him  on  Friday  still  considers  all  perfectly 
remediable,  if  poor  G.  can  be  induced  to  do  what  depends  upon 
himself.  As  an  absolutely  essential  step  he  orders  him  out  of  town 
so  soon  as  it  is  possible  to  find  a  house  for  him, — he  must  be  forced 
off  if  he  cannot  at  the  critical  moment  muster  the  resolution  needed, 
and  Mr.  Watts  says  he  was  similarly  forced  off  to  Broadlands  last 
year.  Mamma  and  I  have  the  comfort  of  finding  that  he  likes  to 
have  us  with  him  out  of  town  ;  so  once  more  all  our  plans  are  altered, 
and  we  are  now  ready  at  any  moment  to  precede,  accompany,  or 
follow  him  as  the  case  may  be.  Mr.  Watts  is  undertaking  the 
arduous  work  of  house-hunting,  and  is  laying  himself  out  in  active 
friendship.     Mr.  Dunn  is  also  very  kind. 

These  are  the  main  facts.  Poor  Gabriel  is  so  dreadfully  depressed 
as  apparently  to  give  himself  no  chance  of  rallying:  but  one  must 
hope  and  pray.  .  .  . 


68  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

To    ^VILLI.\M    ROSSETTI. 

[The  "  adequate  observance  of  rule  "  related  to  chloral,  with  its 
accompanying  whisky.  "  Albert"  was  the  man-servant — more, 
perhaps,  in  the  nature  of  a  male  nurse — whom  my  brother  at  present 
employed.] 

30  TORRIXGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[15  Air^tisl  1S77.] 

My  dear  William, 

You  may  like  to  know  about  our  visit  to  Chelsea  yesterday, 
before  paying  yours  to-day.  Poor  Gabriel  was  greatly  depressed, 
but  in  some  points  better :  he  walked  and  sat  a  little  in  the  garden, 
and  played  a  game  of  chess  with  me.  Warmly  and  gratefully  did 
he  speak  of  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  sat  up  reading  to  him,  and  very 
affectionately  he  made  mention  of  the  comfort  of  seeing  you.  The 
special  incident  however  to  tell  you  is  that  whilst  we  were  there  Mr. 
Marshall  called  and  stayed  a  long  time  with  him.  We  of  course  left 
him  alone  with  his  patient :  but  after  a  while  he  joined  us  in  the 
drawing-room  and  held  an  anxious  conversation  with  Mamma,  plainly 
telling  us  that,  though  one  month  of  adequate  observance  of  rule 
would  make  all  the  difference  in  Gabriel's  favour,  he  could  not  sur- 
vive many  months  on  the  present  system.  Well:  he  had  spoken  I 
suppose  very  plainly  also  to  Gabriel,  who  had  owned  to  him  a  very 
serious  breach  of  rule ;  and  Gabriel  has  now  consented  to  be  put  in 
charge  of  a  regular  nurse,  who  will  enforce  that  moderation  which  his 
very  life  now  requires.  Mr.  Marshall  knew  of  a  most  eligible  nurse 
just  set  free  from  another  case;  and -he  has  furnished  G.  with  a 
written  table  of  diet  &c.,  admitting  of  no  misunderstanding.  The 
nurse  would  be  in  charge  all  day,  Albert  at  night  :  of  course  she  (as 
well,  I  do  hope,  as  he)  will  be  of  the  out-of-town  party  ;  and  for  aught 
I  know  she  is  now  already  on  the  spot.  .  .  . 

\Ve  left  Mr.  Watts  with  him,  and  dinner  on  the  table.  I  think 
Mr.  Dunn  also  seems  solidly  kind,  as  I  hear  of  his  playing  chess 
with  poor  G.,  and  I  perceived  he  was  going  to  be  of  the  dinner- 
party. If  Mr.  Brown  is  once  more  inclined  to  show  himself  the  good 
active  friend  he  has  ever  been,  his  company  will  be  a  helpful  solace, 
both  Mamma  and  I  feel. 
Her  love  to  you. 


i877— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  69 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[As  this  letter  shows,  our  mother  and  Christina  joined  Dante 
Gabriel  in  his  retreat  near  Heme  Bay — a  comfortable  farm-residence. 
They  replaced  Madox  Brown,  who  had  in  the  first  instance  escorted 
the  invalid  out  of  town. — "  Mr.  Shields  "  is  the  distinguished  painter 
Frederic  J.  Shields,  an  old  friend  of  my  brother,  and  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  of  us. — "The  F.  M.  B.  gold-watch  incident"  was 
this.  Mrs.  Madox  Brown,  pacing  along  the  parade  or  beach  at 
Gorleston,  noticed  a  watch  lying  derelict  on  the  ground.  She 
picked  it  up,  and  found  the  inscribed  initials  to  be  F.  M.  B.,  which 
were  her  husband's  initials.  The  right  owner  was  soon  afterwards 
found.  ] 

AT   MR.   SANDS'S,    HUNTER's    FORESTALL,    NEAR   HERNE   BAY. 

30  August  1S77. 

My  dear  William, 

Your  letter  incites  me  to  take  turns  in  the  bulletins,  but 
without  wanting  you  to  "  respond  "  except  to  our  Mother,  who  needs 
every  cheerful  influence  within  reach,  not  least  your  loving  letters. 
Yet  she  keeps  very  bright  and  well,  all  considered,  and  is  the  down- 
pillow  of  the  group. 

Poor  dear  Gabriel  had  a  somewhat  less  uneasy  night  last  night ; 
but  it  seems  only  shades  of  difference  which  are  in  question,  nothing 
near  the  contrast  between  good  and  bad.  His  depression  is  very 
painful,  though  sometimes  a  shadow  of  the  old  fun  breaks  out  and  lights 
all  up  for  the  moment.  Yet  some  positive  advance  seems  to  have 
been  made  if  we  look  back  a  few  weeks.  The  rooms  are  no  longer 
kept  in  semi-darkness,  he  does  not  now  sit  in  that  attitude  of  dreadful 
dejection  with  drooping  head,  he  perspires  less,  and,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  the  pains  in  his  limbs  have  lessened.  He  looks  stout,  his 
complexion  is  florid  \  only  his  eyes  have  a  peculiar  appearance  which 
cannot,  I  fear,  be  favourable.  Sometimes  he  is  unable  to  listen  to 
reading,  but  very  often  he  listens  for  a  good  while  with  interest. 
Generally  a  little  whist  helps  on  the  evening  fairly.  He  has  not  even 
yet  attempted  to  take  Mamma's  portrait,  and  his  hand  is  often  visibly 
tremulous.  Just  now  he  has  a  degree  of  eruption  out,  but  I  hope 
it  is  no  more  than  the  effect  of  heat  from  some  cause  or  other.     The 


70  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

weather  from  dull  has  changed  to  sunny.  Gabriel  is  now  going  to 
try  a  French  remedy  for  insomnolence  ;  Mr.  Shields  learnt  it  from 
Mr.  Andrieu  and  derived  relief  from  it ;  it  is  happily  one  which 
Mrs.  Mitchell  feels  no  difficulty  in  sanctioning, — butter-milk,  to  be 
drunk  in  the  night.  It  will  not  supersede  the  steadily  diminishing 
(but  still  enormous)  dose  of  chloral,  but  may  be  taken  in  addition. 
I  am  not  sanguine,  but  a  blessing  may  be  vouchsafed  on  any 
means  whatsoever.     It  is  to  be  tried  for  the  first  time  to-night. 

Mr.  Shields  is  here,  most  unselfish  and  friendly.  I  have  no  idea 
how  much  longer  he  will  be  able  to  stay  ;  but  I  fear  the  sacrifice  he 
makes  is  not  trifling,  as  he  does  not  attempt  to  carry  on  any  sort  of 
work,  indeed  he  brought  none  with  him.  He  did  bring  a  copy  he 
made  from  Fra  Bartolomeo's  portrait  of  Savonarola,  and  Gabriel  and 
I  both  recognize  in  it  a  strong  likeness  to  Maria ;  this  Mamma  also 
observes,  but  I  suspect  less  forcibly.     We  take  daily  drives. 

Mamma's  love  to  you.  Curious  truly  is  the  "  F.  M.  B."  gold- 
watch  incident.  .  .  .  Please  let  Mr.  Brown  know  what  I  tell  you 
about  Gabriel,  or  I  ought  to  write  to  that  staunchest  of  friends ;  but 
thus  one  letter  may  serve.  Pray  remember  us  most  cordially  to  him  ; 
and  assure  him  I  am  selfishly  ready  to  wish  him  back  here  a  dozen 
times  a  day,  to  hand  him  over  the  housekeeping  and  be  encouraged 
by  his  influence  over  Gabriel. 

To  William  Rossettl 

[This  extract  comes  from  a  letter  not  in  complete  condition. 
Christina's  "  short  piece,"  A71  October  Garden,  appeared  in  TJie 
A/he>ueiifn.^ 

hunter's  forestall,  herne  bay. 

II  Oi  toiler  1S77. 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  We  are  very  anxious  indeed  about  poor  Gabriel.  All 
Mrs.  Mitchell  tells  us  amounts  to  the  fact  that  chloral  has  now  been 
reduced  to  doses  wholly  or  quasi  inoperative,  while  not  a  vestige  of 
natural  sleeping-power  has  been  regained.  Last  night  he  did  indeed 
sleep  somewhat  more  again  :  but  how  ?  His  nurse  was  driven  to 
concede  the  point,  and  return  to  o/ie  larger  allowance  of  chloral. 
Another  great  fear  which  besets  us  is  that  Gabriel  will  shortly  take 


i877— TO   SHIELDS  71 

matters  into  his  own  hands,  and  order  chloral  direct  for  himself 
from  the  chemist,  emancipating  himself  from  Mr.  Marshall's 
most  salutary  rule,  and  of  course  in  consequence  from  Mrs. 
Mitchell's  supervision.  He  has,  I  am  told,  spoken  in  this  way ; 
though  not  to  Mamma  or  me.  All  I  thus  repeat  to  you  is  in 
strict  confidence,  but  you  ought  to  be  informed  of  what  is  and  of 
what  threatens.  He  has  spoken  of  not  continuing  here  beyond 
about  the  end  of  this  month,  but  has  not  so  said  it  that  I  feel  any 
certainty  as  to  our  breaking  up  at  any  given  moment ;  if  he  ceases 
to  conform  to  rule,  I  know  not  what  to  look  forward  to,  whether  we 
stay  or  whether  we  leave.  God  help  us.  In  general  health  he 
is  wonderfully  recovered,  but  this  sleeplessness  saps  hope  and 
spirits.  .  .  . 

Before  long  perhaps  you  may  see  a  short  piece  of  mine  in  the 
AthencBum,  as  I  happened  to  write  one  down  here,  and  obliging  Mr. 
Watts  has  just  sent  it  in  on  approval.  I  desire  acceptance,  as  you 
may  surmise, — and  cash  ! 

To  Frederic  J.  Shields. 

[This  note  may  perhaps  belong  to  some  such  date  as  December 
1877,  when  Mr.  Shields  was  working  upon  some  designs  of  the 
Prophets  for  the  Duke  of  Westminster's  Chapel  at  Eaton  Hall, 
Cheshire.  The  extract  which  my  sister  sent  to  him  is  not 
forthcoming.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[December  1877?] 
Dear  Mr.  Shields, 

Our  conversation  of  last  evening  gave  me  some  subsequent 
thought  and  a  wish  to  feel  surer  of  my  ground  within  such  sacred 
precincts.  So  I  turned  to  2  commentaries  we  have  at  hand,  and, 
though  my  search  failed  in  great  measure,  I  did  light  upon  one 
passage  in  Scott's  well-known  work  which  I  venture  to  extract  and 
lay  before  you, — not  as  pretending  to  clash  with  your  view,  but 
simply  as  explaining  why  it  seems  to  me  that  the  promised  "  desert 
of  roses"  blossomed  not  at  the  voice  of  St.  John  Baptist.  I  think 
so,  of  course,  on  other  and  wider  grounds,  and  according  to  Mr. 
Scott  the  "  soldiers  "  form  no  exception  to  the  rule. 


72  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

It  is  balm  to  my  Mother  and  to  me  to  hear  a  man  of  genius  who 
is  also  a  Christian,  who  speaks  of  the  personages  and  facts  of  the 
Bible  as  of  personages  and  facts,  and  who  brings  love  and  devo- 
tion to  his  work  for  the  glory  of  God.  Pray  do  not  think  me  over- 
bold in  expressing  myself,  but  you  well  know  how  many  men  of 
genius  think  and  speak  otherwise.  Please  remember  my  Mother 
and  me  very  cordially  to  Mrs.  Shields,  and  with  our  real  regards  to 
yourself,  &c.  .  .  . 

From  THE  Rev.  Dr.  Littledale. 

9    RED    LION    SQUARE,   LONDON. 

7  Fel>riia?y  1S78. 

'Tis  but  too  true,  dear  Miss  Christina, 

What  publishers  to  you  reply, 
A  time  like  this  has  ahvays  been  a 

Time  when  the  frighted  Muses  fly  ; 
Inter  ar?na  silent  leges 

{'Twas  Marcus  Cicero  who  said  it). 
And  all  but  newspapers  are  tedious 

When  Dizzy  wants  his  vote  of  credit. 
The  public  likes  a  Prince's  Progress, 

But  only  in  the  Morning  Post, 
And  makes  a  Goblin  Market  ogress 

Of  Russia's  or  of  Turkey's  host. 
The  tale  of  this  or  that  atrocity. 

Hummed  the  stretching  wires  along. 
With  all  the  telegraph's  velocity, 

Pitches  the  key  of  its  Sing-song. 
'T won't  last  for  ever,  never  fret  'ee 

But  wait  till  war's  alarums  fail : 
Such  is  the  rede,  dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

Of  your  true  friend 

R.  Littledale. 

To  WlLLL\M  RoSSETTL 

[Our  old  friend  Frederic  G.  Stephens,  of  the  P.R.P..,  was  at  this 
time  very  dangerously  ill :  Mr.  John  Marshall,  at  a  grave  crisis,  saved 


1878— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  73 

his  life.  Mr.  Holman  Hunt  was  also  ill,  and  Ruskin  in  a  painful 
mental  condition. — My  "  Poets  "  is  the  volume  Lives  of  Famous  Poets  : 
my  Shelley  was  the  re-edition  of  the  poems,  as  first  edited  by  me  in 
1870. — Mr.  W.  A.  Turner,  of  Manchester,  was  one  of  the  later 
purchasers  of  my  brother's  pictures  :  he  bought,  among  others,  the 
Vision  of  Fianunetta^ 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUAR6,  W.C. 

15  March  1878. 

My  dear  William, 

The  poor  dear  Stephenses, — what  dreadful  suffering  and 
anxiety.  Gabriel  was  here  last  night,  and,  hearing  from  us  about  his 
old  friend,  was  full  of  concern  and  sympathy.  I  shall  send  him  on 
your  letter  of  this  morning  that  he  may  know  all  we  know.  I  shall  also 
write  to  Mrs.  Stephens  to  tell  her  Mamma  and  I  are  feeling  with  her, — 
not,  of  course,  to  trouble  her  for  any  reply.  To  me  blood-poison  is 
amongst  the  most  appalling  of  diseases.  Even  poor  Holman  Hunt's 
state  frightens  me  less,  critical  and  painful  as  it  is.  By  the  by, 
Gabriel  also  spoke  with  friendly  concern  about  Ruskin.  And  he 
looked  at  your  "  Poets  "  with  interest,  and  mentioned  having  received 
your  Shelley  (though  that  is  but  a  graceless  form  of  acknowledgment). 
I  fear  he  was  not  in  genuine  good  spirits,  but  at  any  rate  he  had  a 
vestige  of  fun  in  him,  witness  the  following  couplet  on  me : — 

"There's  a  female  bard  grim  as  a  fakeer, 
Who  daily  grows  shakier  and  shakier" — 

the  point  was  to  find  a  rhyme  for  "  shakier."  Scotus  and  Mrs.  Scott 
had  been  to  see  him,  and  I  think  he  was  expecting  that  Mr.  Turner 
of  Manchester  to-day.  He  is  getting  on  again  with  his  Fiammetta 
picture. 

Our  mother's  love  to  you,  and  hers  and  mine  X.o  yours. 

To  Dante  Rossettl 

[Mr.  James  Smetham  the  painter  was  at  this  time  at  some  loss  for 
finding  purchasers  for  his  pictures,  and  Dante  Rossetti  was  pushing 
their  sale  to  the  best  of  his  opportunities.  Christina  had  only  a  very 
slight  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Smetham,  but  she  esteemed  him  on 
religious  as  well  as  artistic  grounds.  Miss  Heaton  (who  has  been 
mentioned  before)  was  a  lady  resident  at  Leeds.] 


74  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C, 

[?  4/^271878.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  should  be  charmed  to  help  Mr.  Smetham,  towards  whom 
I  am  drawn  by  esteem  and  sympathy,  but  I  have  so  dropped  out  of 
society  (never  having  acquired  deep  foothold  therein)  that  I  fear  I 
am  also  pretty  well  out  of  court  as  regards  useful  influence.  Miss 
Heaton  is  the  one  name  that  suggests  itself  to  both  of  us.  .  .  .  What 
I  think  would  be  the  best  chance  of  attracting  her  would  be  to 
promise  that,  if  she  inclines  their  way,  she  should,  when  she  comes  to 
London  (supposing  any  to  remain  on  hand  so  long),  visit  your  studio 
with  me  and  there  inspect  them ;  but  perhaps  friendship  will  not 
carry  you  so  far.  .  .  . 

Are  they  in  oil  or  in  water-colour  ? 


To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

[I  think  this  undated  letter  may  belong  to  June  187S.  The 
occasion  for  its  being  written  appears  to  be  that  my  daughter  Olivia, 
aged  at  that  time  less  than  three  years,  had  been  reported  by  her 
nurse  as  making  herself  rather  more  than  sufficiently  "  at  home  "  at 
the  residence  of  my  sister  and  mother. — The  phrase  "  crocodile  love  " 
is  perhaps  used  in  allusion  to  the  fact  that  Olivia,  who  happened 
to  see  at  a  friend's  house  Mr.  Boyle,  then  Editor  of  The  Daily 
Chronicle,  had  spoken  to  him  of  that  paper  as  "  the  Daily  Crocodile."] 


30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,  W.C. 

X-tJiine  1S78.] 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  am  heartily  glad  you  have  written,  because  it  gives  me  a 
chance  of  doing  away  with  an  impression  I  never  meant  to  create. 
I  quite  admire  our  clever  little  Olive,  and  am  really  glad  she  should 
be  imbued  with  Sing-'Songs ;  and  the  more  at  her  ease  she  is 
among  us,  some  of  her  nearest  relations,  the  better;  and,  if  some  day 
she  comes  to  love  me  as  well  as  to  be  familiar  with  me,  that  will  be 
better  still, — only  I  do  not  count  on  such  a  happy  consummation, 


1878— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  75 

as  I  know  myself  to  be  deficient  in  the  nice  motherly  ways  which  win 
and  ought  to  win  a  child's  heart.  You  do  not  know  how  much 
pleasure,  moreover,  you  will  retrench  from  Mamma's  quiet  days  if 
you  check  Olive's  coming  here  or  her  perfect  freedom  when  she  is 
here.  That  is  a  truly  motherly  heart,  full  of  warm  nooks  for  children 
and  children's  children  :  and  she  could  not  bear  her  gratification  in 
seeing  and  hearing  your  little  ones  to  be  doubted  or  misunderstood. 
This  with  her  love  to  you  and  to  them.  And  mine  too,  please,  to 
all  three  :  not  a  crocodile  love  ! 

"  Kiss  and  be  friends  "  is  a  very  sound  old  exhortation  :  get  Olive 
to  be  my  proxy,  and  I  shall  not  fear  to  miss  the  result.     Need  I  ? 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

["  L.  G."  was  Luigi  Gamberale,  of  Campobasso,  who  produced 
some  Italian  translations  from  poems  by  Dante  Gabriel  and  Christina. 
—  Maria's  "  masterpiece  "  was  the  volume  named  A  Shadow  of  Dante. 
— The  Tauchnitz  book  was  a  reprint  of  Dante  Rossetti's  Poems 
of  1S70.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

\_Aiigiist  1S78.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

The  Gazetteer  informs  us  that  Campobasso  is  the  capital  of 
the  Neapolitan  province  of  Molise,  is  situated  about  55  miles  from 
Naples,  and  stands  on  the  ascent  of  a  high  mountain, — I  therefore 
doubt  not  that  Campobasso,  Naples,  will  be  an  adequate  address. 
If  you  write  to  L.  G.,  please  add  my  gratified  thanks.  I  agree  with 
you  in  not  being  admiration-struck  by  his  translation,  and  also  in 
being  much  pleased  at  his  note  on  dear  Maria,  and  in  wishing  that 
her  masterpiece  could  be  brought  within  reach  of  Italian  readers. 
Were  I  a  rich  woman,  I  really  think  I  should  be  tempted  to  give 
Teodorico  the  commission,  and  have  it  translated  and  published  on 
my  own  responsibility  :  but  such  luxuries  are  not  for  me. 

We  all  send  you  our  loves,  dear  Mamma  vagheggiando  her 
prospective  Tauchnitz.  Still  we  have  not  fixed  where  to  go,  but 
Walton-on-Naze  seems  not  impossible ;  we  have  written  to  some 
lodgings  there. 


76  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  a  "  head  and  hand,"  followed  by  Maria's  quaint 
idea  about  the  mummy-room,  has  to  do  with  a  mummified  relic 
presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Peter  Lascaridi,  who  had  recently  returned 
from  a  visit  to  Egypt.  I  did  not  quite  know  how  best  to  dispose  of 
this  abnormal  'gift,  and  had  offered  it  to  Christina.  Ultimately  it 
was  accepted  with  pleasure  by  our  medical  adviser  and  friend  Mr. 
William  Gill.] 

21  August  187S. 
My  dear  William, 

Had  I  an  oratory,  I  might  willingly  accept  the  loan  of 
"  head  and  hand  "  as  a  met?ie?ito  fiiori ;  but,  as  it  is,  I  could  not  feel 
easy  at  keeping  bits  of  fellow-human-creature  as  curiosities ;  my 
preference  would  be  to  give  them  reverent  burial.  Long  ago  Maria 
suggested  how  awful  it  would  be  to  be  in  the  Museum  Mummy- 
Room  on  the  day  of  the  resurrection.  Don't  you  think  some  of  the 
most  competent  shops  for  supplying  your  glass  case  would  be  found 
in  Great  Russell  St.  ?     I  seem  to  remember  none  more  promising. 


From  Charles  Cavley. 

[The  "  proofs  of  Petrarch  "  were  proofs  of  Cayley's  translations 
from  Petrarch.  He  was  at  this  time  writing  a  completion  of  a  book 
on  the  subject  of  religious  and  political  persecutions,  by  a  Spanish 
republican  named  Garrido. — The  female  members  of  Cayley's  family 
lived  ordinarily  at  St.  Leonard's,  Hastings.] 


4   SOUTH   CRESCENT. 

4  September  1878. 

Dear  Christina  Rossetti, 

If  you  are  still  to  be  some  time  out  of  town,  I  want  to  ask 
you,  in  charity,  to  send  me  a  few  lines  about  your  Naze-al  retreat, 
and  how  it  suits  you,  and  if  anything  has  occurred  among  our  friends. 
Here  I  am  not  only  isolated  as  in  the  height  of  the  nomadic  season, 
but  have  been  kept  ten  days  at  home  by  a  bad  foot,  and  am  just 


1878— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  77 

beginning  to  creep  out ;  my  doctor  has  been  my  fellow  lodger,  and 
my  landlady,  I  must  own,  an  excellent  nurse  in  all  points.  What  it 
came  of,  at  least  the  crisis,  was  a  walk  last  Thursday  week  in  Windsor 
park ;  which  should  have  been  of  7  miles,  but  I  made  it  more,  being 
insufficiently  directed.  I  was  glad  to  see  the  old  castle,  though  it 
is  like  a  set  of  ugly  things  that  a  wave  tosses  up  magnificently.  I 
left  the  state-rooms  for  another  occasion,  though  I  have  never  seen 
them,  and  went  to  the  Long  Walk — a  three-mile  line  of  elms — do 
you  know  it? — that  will  have  completed  two  centuries  in  1880, 
and  there  are  few  signs  of  destruction  and  decay;  it  was  a  grand 
idea  to  plant  them.  After  a  mile  or  so  the  park  widens  out,  then 
herds  of  deer  appear,  then  fernbeds,  undulating  ground,  and  all 
varieties  of  trees.  What  I  had  least  expected  was  the  very  broad 
and  bright  patches  of  heather  near  Virginia  Water,  for  there  was  no 
admixture  of  furze  w^hatever.  And  here,  as  in  the  colour  of  the  margin 
of  a  rainbow,  I  will  relieve  you  from  this  dreary  letter,  except  that  I 
will  add  I  have  had  some  proofs  of  Petrarch  (80  pages)  and  written 
my  chapters  on  Naples  for  "  Persecutions  " — a  quarter,  I  hope,  of 
what  I  had  to  do.  INIy  sisters  have  been  in  Coventry,  Shropshire, 
and  Wales,  visiting.     I  await  soon  a  letter  from  St.  Leonard's. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

17  [September  1878]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

...  I  was  charmed  at  the  good  success  of  my  Sing-Songs 
with  you.  But  it  would  indeed  need  a  better  Italian  than  I  to 
translate  the  whole  series :    think  of  me  writhing  helpless  before 

" Heartsease  in  my  garden-bed "  or  "In  the  meadow "!  !     The 

Fig,  I  avow,  causes  me  inward  triumph.  "  Rotolandosi  spumando 
vanno  "  gave,  I  thought,  something  of  the  accumulative  on-come 
of  the  waves,  mounting  on  each  other's  backs:  otherwise  /am  not 
aware  of  any  reason  against  "  spumanti "  as  you  suggest ;  or  one 
might  obliterate  the  sound  yet  more  by  making  it  "  spumosi  ",  .  . 


78  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTIS    LETTERS 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

\Jannary  1S79.  ] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Teodorico  has  sent  over  a  few  Smg-Sotigs  and  wants 
them  shown  to  you  :  so  here  they  are.  Of  course  his  affectionate 
remembrances  to  you  accompanied  them.  Some  are  what  I  have 
done,  and  some  not :  some  (truth  to  tell)  I  like  better  of  mine,  but 
his  No.  5  beats  me  hollow.  7,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  15,  he  only  has 
tackled :  12  is  charming.  Of  course  I  only  venture  to  prefer  my 
own  in  case  their  Italian  could  pass  muster, — and  very  likely  it  could 
not,  which  would  make  all  the  difference.  .  .  . 

From  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  pen-and-ink  design  which  was  enclosed  in  this  letter  was  an 
illustration  of  Christina's  lines  "  Passing  away,  saith  the  World, 
Passing  away."  There  is  a  date  in  the  corner,  1865,  and  some 
initials,  which  I  regard  as  J.  Y.  :  yet  I  believe  that  the  name  of  the 
designer  was  known  to  be  Rivington,  a  clergyman.  The  praise 
which  my  brother  bestowed  upon  the  design,  though  it  is  not  the 
work  of  an  accomplished  artist,  was  fully  merited. — The  P.S.  must 
relate  to  Mrs.  Henrietta  Polydore  (our  uncle's  wife),  who  was  usually 
settled  in  the  United  States  of  America,  but  was  once  or  twice  over 
in  England.] 

[16   CHEYNE   walk. 

22  May  1879.] 
My  dear  Christina, 

I  am  enclosing  a  production  which  I  think  I  once  men- 
tioned to  you  and  you  did  not  seem  to  remember ;  but  I  fancy  you 
did  see  it  when  sent  to  me  by  some  one  long  ago  as  the  work  of  a 
young  amateur  or  artist  whose  name  I  know  not.  It  is  certainly 
poetic  and  assuredly  quite  quaint  enough.  Now  you  have  it,  keep 
it  if  you  care.  I  turned  it  up  yesterday,  and  bethought  me  to  send 
it  ere  it  got  buried  again  in  heaps. 

I  hope  our  Mother  thrives  in  this  bettering  weather.  I  hope  to  be 
seeing  you  soon,  but  am  beset  with  building-nuisances  here. 


i879— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  79 

Is  Aunt  C.  with  you  now  ?     If  so,  love  to  both  Aunts  and  first  of 
all  to  our  Mother. 

How  about  Mrs.  H.  P.  ? 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

["  Our  man  "  presents  to  me  no  identity  :  he  would  appear  to  have 
been  the  author  of  some  verses,  desirous  of  obtaining  Christina's 
address. — The  Prince's  Quest  is  of  course  a  poem  by  William 
Watson.] 

30   TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

[Sitijimer  1879  ?] 
My  dear  Gabriel, 

Our  man  (whom  I  characterize  less  briefly  than  do  you) 
wants  my  address  :  so  I  send  him  simply  my  visiting-card,  and  he 
may  do  anything  or  nothing  as  he  prefers.  I  augur  drearily  from  his 
poem,  and  not  brightly  from  his  letter. 

I  have  read  The  Prince's  Quest,  and  indeed  the  whole  volume. 
Marked  beauties  it  has,  and  yet  I  don't  foresee  a  great  future  for  its 
author, — not  confidently.     May  he  falsify  my  verdict !  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,  Broadstairs. 
[The  book  here  spoken  of  is  the  one  entitled  Seek  and  Find.'\ 

2   GLADSTONE   VILLAS,  SEAFORD. 

21  July  1S79. 

My  dear  William, 

You  will  like  to  know  that  our  dear  Mother  is  settled  here 
very  comfortably  and  prosperously,  in  air  that  seems  to  suit  her  and 
in  very  clean  wholesome  lodgings.  Seaford  is  very  quiet,  but  so  are 
we.  It  is  a  rather  desolate-looking  small  place;  though  it  may,  I 
surmise,  look  somewhat  less  desolate  when  more  people  arrive,  a 
phenomenon  talked  of  for  a  little  further  on  in  the  season, — say 
August  I.  We  like  it  better  than  being  at  Walton  last  year,  partly 
because  we  like  these  lodgings  so  much  better  than  those.  .  .  . 

At  last  I  can  indulge  you  with  a  gleam  of  light  on  some  of  those 
mysterious  literary  avocations  at  which  you  have  occasionally  caught 


So  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

me, — fur  I  have  just  sold  a  little  book  (its  copyright)  for  ^^o  to  the 
S.P.C.K.,  which  is  the  same  Society  as  published  Maria's  Letters 
to  viy  Bible  Class  in  old  days.  Mine  is  a  small  work  on  the 
"Benedicite,"  and  I  promise  myself  the  pleasure  of  ere  long  adding 
a  copy  to  your  family-shelf,  if  you  will  accept  one.  .  .  . 

I  hope  your  bottled  monsters  are  not  less  long-lived  or  more 
smelly  than  in  the  days  of  our  common  experiences.  I  do  not 
discern  any  symptoms  of  "monsters"  here,  but  my  investigations 
are  carried  on  from  a  campstool  pitched  some  way  from  the  water's 
edge, — so  are  by  no  means  exhaustive.  Shingle  I  see :  and  I  think 
I  have  heard  of  sand,  under  some  condition  of  the  tide  which  I  have 
not  seen.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

["Mr.  Caine's  lecture"  was  a  lecture  by  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  then  in 
Liverpool  and  engaged  only  subordinately  in  literature,  regarding 
Rossetti's  poems.  His  sending  a  copy  of  the  lecture  to  my  brother 
was  the  beginning  of  their  acquaintance. — "  The  second  me " 
must  be  one  of  the  heads  of  Christina  which  Uante  Gabriel  had 
drawn — perhaps  the  downward-looking  one  done  in  1877.  The 
"first  me"  would  be  the  well-known  and  often  reproduced  head 
dated  in  1S66.] 

2  GLADSTONE   VILLAS,    SEAFORD. 

[1S79-?  25/«/v.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Sad  to  say,  my  little  book  Seek  and  Find  is  exclusive 
prose :  yet  I  flatter  myself  some  of  it  is  that  prose  which  I  fancy  our 
Italian  half  inclines  us  to  indite.  It  is,  of  course,  but  a  simple  work 
adapted  to  people  who  know  less  (!)  than  I  do :  but  I  took  a  keen 
interest  in  writing  it,  and  I  hope  some  may  feel  an  interest  in  reading 
it.  One  solitary  footnote  occurs  in  its  course,  and  the  unnamed 
personage  of  that  footnote  is  our  dear  good  Maria.  All  the  proofs 
and  even  the  revises  have  now  passed  through  my  hands,  so  before 
so  very  long  I  hope  a  clean  copy  will  come  to  light. 

Thankyou  for  letting  me  too  read  Mr.  Caine's  Lecture, — a  re- 
markable work  by  an  author  who  really  thinks,  feels ;  and  therefore 
has  somewhat  to  express.     If  you  come  to  know  him  I  should  like 


i879— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  8i 

to  know  what  he  is  like  :  conflicting  images  of  him  evolve  themselves 
from  my  inner  consciousness,  and  he  cannot  be  like  both  ! 

This  place  is  suiting  us  capitally.  There  is  at  least  one  country- 
ish  walk,  simple  and  pretty,  within  our  range,  besides  the  inexhaust- 
ible beach. 

Thankyou  much  for  caring  to  think  of  having  the  second  "  me  " 
photographed.  Should  a  spare  carte  from  either  negative  ever 
accumulate  in  your  hands,  I  shall  thankfully  accept  it,  and  probably 
transfer  it  to  an  American  Miss  Alger  who  asked  me  in  vain  for  one 
lately. 

On  a  second  reading  of  the  Lecture  Mamma  is  so  charmed  that 
she  means  to  buy  the  N?. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  phrase,  "  Mr.  Brown  has  come  forward "  &c.,  refers  to 
the  fact  that  Brown,  after  Dante  Rossetti  returned  to  London  from 
Hunter's  Forestall  late  in  1877,  held  aloof  from  him  for  a  while, 
owing  to  some  tiff  (entirely  on  Brown's  side)  concerning  Rossetti's 
servants.  The  tiff  had  now  at  last  subsided,  and  Brown  had  re- 
appeared.— "The  extreme  tenuity  of;^2  7o"  relates  to  the  sum  payable 
for  his  paintings  in  the  Manchester  Townhall. — Mrs.  Laura  Valentine 
compiled  a  volume  entitled  Gems  of  National  Poetry^  in  which  she 
was  pleased  to  insert  a  very  early  verse-performance  of  mine  called 
In  the  Hill-shadow. — The  sum  of  ;^io  was  offered  and  paid  by  Mr. 
Fairfax  Murray  for  the  MS.  of  Christina's  Seek  and  Find.  The 
other  MS.  here  mentioned,  Singsdng,  with  some  vignettes  from  the 
authoress's  hand,  remained  perdu  for  years.  At  last,  towards  1900, 
it  came  back  to  me,  and  rests  in  my  custody.  The  vignettes  are 
interesting  to  people  who  care  about  Christina  and  her  work,  but  of 
course  are  highly  primitive  from  an  art  point  of  view. — "  The 
predellas  "  belonged  to  the  second  and  somewhat  diminished  version 
of  Rossetti's  oil-picture,  Dante's  Dream  :  Mr.  William  Graham  was 
the  purchaser.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[1879—?  18  Aitgxist.'l 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Your  charming  letter  to  our  Mother  followed  us  up  from 
Seaford  this  morning,  and  she  delights  in  it  (her  own  word)  and 
sends  you  her  love.     We  are  so  glad  that  Mr.  Brown  has  come 


82  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

forward  and  met  your  latent  affection,  while  we  agree  with  you 
(keeping  the  matter  to  ourselves)  in  the  extreme  tenuity  of  p/^270. 
I  hope  that  the  name  and  fame  accruing  may  serve  as  ballast  to  the 
light  purse. 

"  Laura  Valentine  "  I  identify  no  further  than  as  working  at  one 
vol.  of  Warnes's  "  Chandos "  series.  From  William  she  culls  In 
the  Hill-shadow  and  2  sonnets,  but  which  2  I  know  not.  From 
me,  Twilight  Calm  and  Sound  Sleep.  William  foresaw  some- 
what ruefully  figuring  in  company  with  really  good  work  of  yours 
and  mine :  but  half  this  combination  he  will  be  spared — and  he 
seems  to  excel  me  in  freedom  from  vanity  !  .  .  . 

And  now  for  your  letter  to  me.  I  am  amazed,  amused,  and  as  you 
may  believe  not  a  little  pleased,  at  the  jQio  bid  for  my  M.S.,  and 
am  lying  in  wait  for  the  formal  communication  from  William.  Alas  ! 
no  more  such  refuse  do  I  retain  in  stock — for  till  Mr.  Watts  en- 
lightened me  I  laboured  under  the  delusion  that  printer's  copy  was 
a  perquisite  of  one's  publisher;  and  now,  too  late,  I  deplore  the 
original  Sing-Song — embellished  with  my  own  vignettes  !  !  !  It  is 
delightful  to  hear  of  Mr.  Murray's  success  in  life,  and  to  recollect 
that  you  were  his   early  friend  and  helper. 

I  hope  the  predellas  are  turning  out  as  beautiful  as  they  promised 
to  become. 

Looking  forward  to  our  seeing  you  ere  long,  &c.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  note  was  written  soon  after  our  brother  had  done  something 
unreasonable  with  chloral-dosing  or  what  not,  and  had  reduced  him- 
self to  a  very  shattered  condition.  It  lasted  some  few  days,  but  did 
not  seriously  affect  him  in  the  long  run.] 

30  TORKINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

21  {October  1879]. 
My  dear  William, 

We  spent  a  long  morning  with  Gabriel  yesterday,  and 
found  him  less  depressed  than  I  was  prepared  for.  But  what  a 
state  his  mouth  is  in,  and  his  voice  was  wretched.  However,  he 
was  very  fairly  chatty  as  to  books  and  people,  and  showed  us  some 
of  his  beautiful  drawings.     I  wish  you  could  have  heard  the  tender 


i879— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  S^ 

and  grateful  warmth  with  which  he  mentioned  your  kindness  in  ill- 
ness,— "  hke  a  woman,"  and  the  sweetness  of  your  disposition. 

We  are  going  again  to-day,  but  not  for  quite  so  long  a  period,  as 
the  whole  affair  yesterday  proved  almost  too  fatiguing  for  our 
Mother.  Her  dear  love  to  you,  and  ours  if  you  please  to  Lucy,  whose 
and  whose  Father's  helpful  kindness  we  thankfully  acknowledge. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[In  consequence  of  some  talks  between  Dante  Rossetti  and 
Mr.  Watts-Dunton  (who  was  solicitor  as  well  as  author),  it  was 
considered  that  the  publishing  arrangements  between  Christina  and 
Messrs.  Macmillan  were  not  quite  so  clearly  or  accurately  defined  as 
they  should  have  been.  Hence  this  letter,  and  some  ensuing  collo- 
quies which  proved  satisfactory  to  both  parties.] 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  W.C. 

17  December  1S79. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  certainly  have  two  very  brotherly  brothers  who  command 
my  affectionate  gratitude  by  their  unfailing  care  for  my  small  concerns. 

Mr.  Watts  moreover  makes  me  his  debtor  by  such  friendly  good 
will.  If  he  and  you  and  William  all  agree  as  to  the  necessity  of  the 
step,  and  if  he  will  kindly  take  it  without  my  involving  myself  in 
heavy  law-expenses,  I  will  accept  your  opinion  that  it  is  advisable, 
and  be  glad  that  he  should  speak  to  Mr.  Macmillan.  But  only  and 
absolutely  in  the  most  amicable  manner ;  as  being  quite  certain  that 
no  wrong  has  either  been  done  or  dreamt  of,  as  knowing  that  I  am 
satisfied  with  actual  arrangements,  and  as  bearing  in  mind  that  I  stick 
to  my  position  of  cordial  personal  friendship  with  my  friendly  publisher. 
All  which  premised,  I  should  of  course  be  glad  to  have  business- 
matters  put — if  they  are  not  so  already — on  a  business-footing. 
Nothing  however,  not  proof  positive  that  I  had  been  pillaged  !  would 
make  me  have  recourse  to  law  :  this  is  a  statement  at  once  preliminary 
and  final.  Moreover  I  am  hugging  hopes  of  getting  together  before 
long  enough  verse  for  a  small  fresh  volume  :  so  least  of  all  at  this 
moment  am  I  in  the  mood  to  alienate  the  staunch  Mac.  .  .  . 

Seek  and  Find  has  been  favourably  mentioned  in  the  Saturday 
Review. 


84  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Christina  presented  to  our  mother  for  her  eightieth  birth- 
day, 27  April  1880,  a  copy  of  David  Main's  Treasury  of  English 
So7inets,  and  Dante  Gabriel  inserted  into  it  the  illustrated  MS.  of  his 
own  sonnet  on  The  Sotviet.  From  the  following  letter  it  is  apparent 
that  he  had  consulted  Christina  on  the  question  whether  the  close  of 
that  sonnet,  which  refers  to  death,  might  be  likely  to  produce  any 
painful  impression  on  our  mother.  I  do  not  know  what  was  the 
couplet  proposed  (but  not  finally  adopted)  as  a  substitute.] 


30  TORKINGTON  SQUARE,  W.C. 

2  April  [iSSo]. 
My  dear  Gabriei-, 

...  I  still  think  the  first  sonnet-conclusion  quite 
admissible, — and  (with  you,  so  far  as  I  realize  the  two)  poetically 
superior,  despite  an  "  imperial "  something  in  the  second  which  has 
a  stately  and  splendid  sound.  I  hope  I  am  not  making  any  mistake 
in  my  judgment :  but  our  dearest  mother  has  much  to  brighten  and 
endear  to  her  the  approaching  immortality,  even  beyond  those  yet 
higher  and  more  blessed  aspects  of  it  which  we  all  have  in  common. 
Still,  I  most  keenly  appreciate  the  tenderness  which  makes  you 
debate  such  a  point  at  such  a  sacrifice. 


To  Olivia  Rossetti  (Agresti). 

[In  April  1880  Olivia  was  aged  about  four  years  and  a  half.  She 
had  asked  to  have  a  copy  of  the  sonnet  which  Christina  had  written 
for  her  own  mother's  eightieth  birthday :  this  is  the  reply,  covering 
instead  a  copy  of  the  verses  named  Golden  Glories.^ 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

27  April  {i2,2,6\. 
Mv  DEAR  Olive, 

I  find  dearest  Grandmamma  sets  so  high  a  value  on  her 
private  and  personal  sonnet  that  I  am  not  to  make  a  copy  of  it  even 
for  you  !  But  I  hope  you  will  like  quite  as  well  the  little  piece  I 
enclose,  which  has  never  been  printed  either :  so  for  the  present  you 


Frances  M.  L.  Rossetti. 
From  an  Oil  Portrait  by  Dante  Rossetti,  c.  i£ 


\.To  face  p.  84. 


i88o-TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  85 

have  it  all  to  yourself.  And,  if  at  some  future  day  a  "  golden  glory  " 
of  art  or  of  poetry  should  alight  on  your  "  head  of  golden  tips,"  then 
(if  you  are  at  all  like  old  auntie)  you  will  find  that  almost  if  not  quite 
its  brightest  point  is  that  it  kindles  a  light  of  pleasure  in  your  own 
Mother's  eyes. 

To  whom  please  give  my  love,  and  to  Arthur  and  Helen,  and  last 
but  not  least  to  dear  Papa. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  ballad  here  referred  to  is  The  White  Ship.  The  incident  of 
the  boy  in  mourning-garb  who  announces  to  Henry  I  the  death  of 
his  son  and  daughter  was  (I  think)  found  by  Dante  Gabriel  in 
Augustin  Thierry's  history. — The  "sycomore"  was  used  for  the 
picture  The  Daydream^  now  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[?  May  18S0.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Mamma,  with  love,  takes  your  loving  advice  and  does  not 
herself  write,  but  is  quite  glad  I  should  write  and  express  for  her  her 
{our)  liking  and  admiration  of  your  fine  ballad.  Twice  she  read  and 
once  she  listened  to  it,  and  many  times  yet  she  may  read  it.  She 
looked  in  Hume  for  the  plain  prose  of  the  history,  and  found  most  of 
your  facts,  but  especially  not  that  of  the  mourning  boy, — so  pictur- 
esque and  telling.  Perhaps  when  you  come  you  will  tell  her  whence 
you  gleaned  so  advantageous  a  point.  I  am  so  glad  you  have  written 
this  fine  piece,  one  really  worth  writing ;  and  I  hope  it  will  delight 
others  in  print  ere  long,  as  us  already  in  MS. 

We  are  pleased  your  sycomore  is  so  available,  and  are  not  without 
hopes  of  beholding  the  beautiful  result  some  day. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Rossetti's  sonnet  on  William  Blake  is  here  referred  to. — Madame 
was  an  Anglo-Greek  lady  of  whom  he  had  narrated  a  painful 


experience  ;  and  James  Smetham  was  in  a  grievous  condition  of  mind 
from  which  he  never  recovered.] 


86  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


III    PEVENSEY   ROAD,    EASTBOURNE. 

id  July  1880. 

My  dear  Gahriel, 

I  think  it  is  worth  while  to  date  this  letter  as  illustrating 
that  even  in  iSSo  our  dearest  Mother  was  well  able  to  leave  home  on 
a  little  holiday  excursion,  to  stroll  and  sit  out  for  about  3  hours  daily, 
and  to  be  amused  on  the  Parade.  The  costumes  that  pass  before  us 
in  a  brisk  panorama  !  One  very  simply  dressed  lady  whom  I  saw 
once  showed  a  face  that  I  fancy  might  have  charmed  even  you  by  its 
natural  rare  beauty ;  but  I  have  scarcely  noticed  one  other  at  all 
exceptional,  if  even  one.  The  horrors  of  this  place  would  certainly 
overwhelm  you, — its  idlers,  brass  bands,  nigger  minstrels  of  British 
breed,  and  other  attractions ;  but  I,  more  frivolous,  am  in  a  degree 
amused. 

Mamma's  love  to  you.  She  delights  in  the  letter  which  you  have 
affectionately  filled  with  so  many  interesting  facts,  and  which  you 
have  enriched  with  a  sonnet  so  pathetic.  She,  like  myself,  had  no 
idea  that  Blake's  workroom  remained  recognizable,  much  less  intact. 

"  Poor  Mme. "  she  says  (figuratively),  and  "poor  good  Smetham." 

We  are  both  very  glad  of  the  re-appearance  of  Burne  Jones,  and  hope 
that  kindly  face  and  genius  may  contribute  something  worth  adding 
to  your  social  circle  ;  and  it  was  pleasant  to  meet  him  for  a  moment 
at  the  R.A.,  and  to  be  carried  back  to  days  20  years  old  by  this  time  ! 
What  is  Philip  Jones  to  be  ?  and  is  little  Margaret  growing  up  pretty? 
She  quite  took  me  by  surprise  once  in  her  babyhood  that  I  saw 
her.  .  .  . 

Yesterday  Mamma  procured  the  Temple  Bar  and  the  mention  of 
you  gratifies  her, — so  you  may  feel  certain  what  style  of  mention  it 
is  !  Not  one  phrase  does  it  contain  but  of  admiration  ;  the  passage 
is  short,  but  not  unmeaning.  .  .  . 

We  had  not  heard  of  Mr.  Tom  Taylor's  death  :  may  his  "  charities  " 
follow  him. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  Dixon  here  mentioned  was  Thomas  Dixon  of  Sunderland, 
lately  deceased,  the  cork-cutter  to  whom  Ruskin  had  addressed  his 
letters  entitled  Time  and  Tide.    He  was  an  estimable  man,  singularly 


i88o— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  87 

zealous  in  promoting  the  cause  of  literature  and  art  in  his  own  circle. 
Joseph  Skipsey,  the  coal-miner  poet,  was  a  friend  of  Dixon. — The 
"«tf«_/f/pun"  has  been  retailed  by  me  elsewhere,  and  I  need  not 
here  recur  to  it. — I  think  that  Mrs.  Meynell,  when  she  wrote  the 
article  in  The  Pen,  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  any  Rossetti, 
and  that  she  did  not  afterwards  become  so. — The  reference  to 
Chatterton  is  consequent  upon  a  sonnet  written  by  Dante  Rossetti.] 

Ill    rEVENSEY    ROAD,    EASTBOURNE. 

20  July  18S0. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Thanks  for  your  letter  in  proportion  to  its  welcomeness — 
what  a  word ! 

Poor  Dixon  :  I  feel  truly  concerned,  though  I  earnestly  hope  he  is 
the  gainer.  To  him,  so  far  as  I  know,  may  fairly  attach  the  character 
(a  noble  one)  of  a  good  citizen.  I  dare  say  many  will  miss  him,  and 
I  hope  not  a  few  will  remember  him.  May  I  deserve  remembrance 
when  my  day  comes,  and  then  remembered  or  forgotten  it  will  be 
well  with  me.  I  don't  know  that  I  saw  him  more  than  once,  but  one 
way  and  another  I  seem  to  know  a  tolerable  deal  about  him.  I 
recollect  you  have  mentioned  Joseph  Skipsey  to  us  ere  now,  and 
surely  you  showed  us  his  photograph  once  at  your  house, — manly- 
looking,  as  a  "collier"  well  may  be. 

Mamma  hopes  to  write  you  "di  proprio  pugno,"  so  I  only  speak 
for  myself.  How  I  wish  we  knew  who  did  write  the  Pen  article. 
Don't  think  me  such  a  goose  as  to  feel  keenly  mortified  at  being  put 
below  you,  the  head  of  our  house  in  so  many  ways.  I  much  like  the 
mention  of  our  dear  Father,  and  I  like  also  as  far  as  it  goes  the 
tribute  to  Maria  :  William  too  fares  fairly.  In  your  "  non  fit "  pun  I 
revel.  Who  can  it  be  who  knows  so  much  about  our  family,  and  yet 
in  one  or  two  points  is  positively  at  fault, — as  when  he  leaves  us  no 
English  element,  and  seems  to  make  you  the  eldest  of  the  group  ? 
If  ever  you  find  out  I  hope  you  will  enlighten  us. 

You  are  in  the  right  as  to  my,  through  ignorance,  not  being  able 
to  say  anything  about  Chatterton's  literary  position ;  but  the  dreadful 
poverty  which  goaded  him  to  so  dreadful  a  deed  I  do  know  some- 
thing of ;  and  hard  must  be  the  heart  which  feels  not  for  him,  how- 
ever far  from  feeling  with  him.     You  bring  the  poor  boy  and  his 


j88  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

gifts  and  his  career  vividly  before  one  :  /,  if  I  could  write  thus  upon 
him,  should  say  something  more  and  something  less,  but  I  would  not 
abate  a  tinge  of  pathos  from  the  sweetly  pathetic  end. 

We  could  drive  to  Pevensey  Castle,  but  are  much  too  far  off  to 
reach  it  otherwise  :  so  I  do  not  think  we  shall  reach  it  at  all.  Years 
ago  our  good  Aunt  Margaret  treated  me  to  the  expedition. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  name  "  Vanna"  is  here  applied  to  the  picture  known  as  The 
Daydream.  Vanna  Primavera  was  the  original  title. — I  do  not 
think  that  Christina  ever  met  the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  :  yet  it 
might  be  possible  that  at  some  such  early  date  as  1855  she  got  a 
glimpse  of  her  at  Highgate. — La  Pia  was  an  oil-picture  begun  by 
Dante  Rossetti  towards  1867,  but  only  finished  towards  1880  :  the 
allusion  to  "  ricordarsi "  will  be  obvious  to  a  reader  of  Dante's  Purga- 
torio. — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shields's  tour,  which  he  at  least  found  intensely 
dismal,  had  been  made  with  Aberdeen  as  its  bourne. — Mr.  George 
Hake  had  ceased  to  be  Rossetti's  secretary  in  January  1877,  and  they 
parted  in  some  mutual  displeasure ;  but  my  brother  had  now  received 
him  with  cordiality.] 

Ill     PEVENSEY   ROAD,    EASTBOURNE, 

9  August  [18S0]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

...  I  hope  we  shall  see  the  final  "Vanna"  some  day: 
but  indeed  she  was  so  beautiful  at  our  last  meeting  that  she  fully 
sufficed  me.  Your  charming  letter  has  just  come  to  hand,  and 
cheers  that  "  dear  one  "  who  sends  you  love. 

Startling,  portentous,  quasi  incredible  is  the  climax  of  Lady 
Burdett  Coutts's  noble  life.  Can  such  ends  come  of  such  begin- 
nings ?  If  so,  may  I  never  have  gift,  grace,  or  glamour,  to  woo  me  a 
husband  not  half  my  age  ! ! !  I  had  heard  of  the  intended  marriage, 
though  I  knew  not  whether  truly  reported:  but  of  the  disparity  of  years 
I  had  not  an  inkling.  All  amazements  pale  before  this  :  otherwise 
I  also  might  gasp  a  moment  at  the  vision  of  beautiful  Mrs.  Morris 
with  her  family  boating  on  river  Thames  (?)  for  a  week  ;  not  only  (I 
trust)  with  a  cabin,  but  (I  surmise)  needing  one. 


i88o— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  89 

No,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  do  not  recall  La  Fia,  of  whom  it  is  so 
obviously  seemly  to  "  ricordarsi."  But  I  hope  we  shall  see  her  also 
in  due  course.  .  .  . 

Poor  Shields,  I  hope  his  tour  was  less  dismal  than  your  narrative 
suggests  :  why  it  should  be  so  extra-dismal  I  do  not  exactly  see ;  but 
one  certainly  may  walk  the  world  as  one's  own  wet  blanket,  and  per- 
haps such  is  our  friend's  well-known  tourist  costume.  I  will  hope 
that  at  any  rate  his  wife  is  still  young  enough  to  find  in  life  and 
in  his  company  something  not  altogether  odious,  fiat,  and  to  be 
deplored. 

No  wonder  the  White  Ship  won  Penkill  laurels.  Scottish  laurels, 
those  :  I  with  English  feeling  tend  towards  remarking 

"  I  trust  you  have  within  your  brain 
500  good  as  he." 

I  wish  you  would  write  more  such,  and  on  such  subjects  :  surely 
they  are  well  worth  celebrating,  and  they  leave  no  sting  behind.  .  .  . 
Very  glad  I  am  that  you  saw  George  Hake  :  I  think  his  looks 
capital  now,  in  their  modified  and  pronounced  style.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,  W.C. 

14  Atigust  [1880]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

We  got  back  quite  comfortably  on  Thursday,  and  here  we 
are.  .  .  . 

No,  I  was  not  thinking  of  arousing  envy  and  spite  when  I 
spoke  of  the  innocuous  nature  of  historic  ballads  (something,  of 
course,  being  pre-supposed  as  to  theme  and  treatment), — but  rather 
of  one's  own  responsibility  in  use  of  an  influential  talent.  As  to 
"envy  and  spite,"  I  think  they  may  well  (!)  be  roused  by  the  White 
Ship.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[A  certain  person,  quite  unknown  to  Christina,  had  written  to  her 
for  permission  to  set  to  music  some  poem  or  poems  of  hers,  and  she 
assented.     This  was  mentioned  to  Rossetti ;  and  he,  acting  upon 


go  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

information  which  he  had  received  from  a  credible  source,  told 
Christina  that  there  was  a  scandal  (were  it  well  founded  or  not)  in 
connection  with  that  applicant,  and  it  would  be  undesirable  for  her  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  him.  She  therefore  wrote  withdrawing  her 
assent.     The  present  letter  shows  an  ensuing  stage  of  the  affair.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[6  September  1 8S0.  ] 

Mv  DE.AR  Gabriel, 

has  written  in  answer.    If  e  does  not  say  a  word  about 

the  setting;  but  asserts  himself  "an  innocent  man"  (premising  that 
he  "  will  not  affect  to  misunderstand  "  my  letter),  and  appears  what 
in  one  case  I  consider  justly  hurt,  and  in  the  other  resentful.  I  am 
very  much  pained :  and  think  I  shall  write  once  more — finally — 
not  of  course  to  reconsider  the  question  of  the  music,  but  to  make 
myself  less  uncomfortable  in  case  (however  blindly)  I  have  been 
unjust.  No  explanations  or  details  or  assertions  will  be  needed  :  and 
under  no  possible  circumstance  can  harm  ensue.  Do  not  laugh  : 
1  am  weighed  upon  by  the  responsibility  of  all  one  does  or  does  not 
do;  besides,  I  think  our  dearest  Mother  inclines  in  the  same 
direction  practically  that  I  do  as  to  this  affair.  Her  dear  love  to 
you. 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30    TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

[September  iSSo.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Thanks  for  kind  encouraging  words  where  certainly  some 
reassurance  is  opportune. 

Unless  we  are  almost  immediately  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you,  will  you  kindly  return  the  original  letter  by  post, — my  copy 
there  is  no  hurry  about.     But  the  other  I  want  back  because  I  have 

made  up  my  mind  what  to  do.     wrote  again  enclosing  strong 

evidence  on  his  side.  Two  documents  there  were  :  one  I  think  any 
candid  person  would  admit  carried  great  weight,  the  other  goes  far 
with  me.     But  I  do  not  feel  a  right  to  let  them  out  of  my  hands,  or 


i88i— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  91 

even  to  show  them,  except  to  our  Mother,  who  is  at  least  as  favour- 
ably impressed  by  them  as  I  am.     The  practical  point  to  which  all 

this  tends  is  that  I  am  going  to  send back  all  his  letters  and 

papers,  so  that  he  may  feel  sure  they  neither  in  my  lifetime  nor 
afterwards  pass  into  other  keeping;  and  I  delay  sending  any  till  I 
can  despatch  all  together.  Poor  fellow,  whatever  his  case  may  be, 
he  is  infinitely  to  be  pitied.  .  .  . 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  book  here  named  is  the  one  entitled  Called  to  be  Saints. 
Mr.  (Fairfax)  Murray  has  previously  been  mentioned  as  the  pur- 
chaser of  a  MS.  by  Christina. — Mrs.  Anna  Eliza  Bray  was  a  cousin 
of  our  mother  on  the  maternal  side,  authoress  of  several  books, 
including  an  autobiography.  She  married  in  the  first  instance  a  son 
of  the  painter  Thomas  Stothard,  and  in  the  second  instance  a 
clergyman.] 

30   TORKINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[29  December  1880.] 
My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Did  William  tell  you  that  I  am  likely  before  long  to 
have  another  volume  out  with  the  Christian  Knowledge  Society  ? 
That  very  work  on  the  Saints'  Days  which  possibly  you  may  recollect 
I  composed  several  years  ago,  and  for  which  I  long  failed  to  secure  a 
publisher.  It  is  in  the  press,  and  I  conjecture  (but  this  is  a  mere 
guess)  that  it  may  perhaps  see  the  light  towards  Easter.  I  do  not 
know  what  money  it  will  bring  in ;  but  I  have  hopes  not  less  than 
the  last,  and  that  was  ^40.  Of  course  there  will  be  a  printer's  copy 
in  time,  and  Mr.  Murray  asked  me  to  let  him  know  if  one  should 
accrue :  so  I  must  let  him  know  some  day. 

Presumably  our  cousin  Mrs.  Bray  turned  90  on  Christmas  Day ! ! 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[I  suppose  that  this  letter  belongs  to  188 1.  It  was  in  that  year 
that  Christina  brought  out  her  volume,  A  Pageant  and  Other 
Foefns.^ 


92  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

\  January  [?  1S81]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Mamma  is  extremely  pleased  with  your  affectionate  full 
letter  received  yesterday  evening,  despite  the  pain  sympathy  in  your 
difficulties  and  anxieties  arouses  in  her.  Be  sure  I  contribute  my 
mite  of  sympathy.  ...  A  thousand  thanks  for  Mr.  Watts's  sister's 
admiration,  and  for  your  care  for  my  fame.  I  don't  think  harm  will 
accrue  from  my  S.P.C.K.  books,  even  to  my  standing  :  if  it  did,  I 
should  still  be  glad  to  throw  my  grain  of  dust  into  the  religious 
scale.  I  am  seriously  hoping,  however,  to  get  up  a  vol.  of  poems 
before  so  very  very  long.  There  are  a  few  poems  in  my  Saints'  Day 
book.     Mamma's  very  dear  love  to  you. 

Fjvm  Dante  Rossetti. 
[The  sonnet  sent  herewith  was  MicJielangeld' s  Kiss^ 

13  Janua?y  iSSl. 

Mv  DEAR  Christina, 

You  know  my  habit  of  patching  up  matters  by  letter- writing. 
I  felt  I  did  not  show  how  much  pleased  I  was  to  see  you  to-day. 
Don't  answer  on  the  point,  but  feel  sure  I  teas  pleased  nevertheless. 

If  Aunt  Charlotte  should  feel  inclined,  as  you  indicated,  to  come 
here  to  see  the  picture,  try  and  let  me  know  when,  and  I  shall  be 
most  pleased  to  show  it.  Try  also  for  both  your  sakes  to  choose  a 
less  deadly  day. 

Love  to  our  dearest  Mother  and  to  both  Aunts. 

As  dear  Mamma  loves  sonnets,  I  put  a  new  one  opposite.  I  think 
the  beautiful  anecdote  will  please  her,  as  told  by  M.A.'s  loving  pupil 
Condivi. 

You  may  observe  in  the  sonnet  a  pun  on  Buonarruoti — of  course 
it  ought  to  be  ruote,  but  I  suppose  it  might  be  perceptible. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  relates  to  the  volume  A  Pageant  and  other  Poems.  The 
reference  to  "  twins  "  was  consequent  upon  a  domestic  event  in  my 
own  household.] 


iS8i— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  93 

30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    W.C. 

[28  April  1 88 1.] 
My  dear  William, 

"  lo  anche — " !  At  last  I  took  the  plunge  and  sent  in 
some  poems  to  Macmillan,  who  before  he  saw  accepted  them, — for 
I  wrote  first  on  the  subject,  and  he  closed  with  them  forthwith.  I 
am  somewhat  in  a  quake,  a  fresh  volume  being  a  formidable  upset  of 
nerves, — but  at  any  rate,  it  cannot  turn  out  twins  ! 

I  am  sure  you  take  interest  enough  in  my  doings  to  deem  this 
news  worth  your  hearing.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  "noble  sonnet"  was  the  one  on  the  assassination  of  Czar 
Alexander  II.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[2  May  iSSi.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Thankyou  for  sight  of  a  noble  sonnet  towards  which  our 
Mother  and  I  do  warm  as  you  may  think.  Would  that  every  one  felt 
with  you,  even  though  the  bulk  of  feelers  must  ever  lack  such  power 
of  expression, — and,  most  of  all,  would  that  our  nearest  and  dearest 
felt  with  you.  Our  Mother  sends  love,  and  therewith  expresses  her 
admiration  and  her  sympathy.  .  .  . 

I  am  quite  pleased  about  Macmillan,  because  he  said  yes  without 
asking  to  see  the  M.S.  or  making  a  single  enquiry  as  to  either  bulk 
or  subject.  I  hope  the  apparent  lag  of  your  proofs  is  merely  because 
the  publishing  moment  (October  ?)  must  now  be  awaited :  perhaps 
mine  may  be  ready  by  that  date,  but  about  this  I  know  nothing 
whatsoever.  I  have  not  yet,  as  you  may  guess,  received  my  first 
sheet.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  query  whether  Dante  Gabriel  might  "  recollect "  any  of  the 
localities  about  Sevenoaks  glances  back  to  a  remote  year,  1850,  when 
he  was  there  along  with  Holman  Hunt  and  F.  G.  Stephens,  painting 
the  background  of  a  picture.] 


94  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

FAYREMEAD,    SEVENOAKS. 

[26  July  1 88 1.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

I  am  glad  you  are  feeling  "  curious"  about  my  volume,  and 
I  hope  that  now  any  day  your  curiosity  may  be  gratified. 

Monday  (that  is,  yesterday)  was  announced  to  me  as  the  day  of 
publication,  but  then  something  was  added  about  getting  copies 
from  the  binder,  which  leaves  me  in  doubt  how  far  we  are  in  reality 
ready  for  the  critical  moment.  William  saw  the  sonnets  before  you, 
merely  because  calling  one  day  he  downright  asked  to  look  at  book, — 
a  nervous  moment  for  me,  though  I  braved  it  out.  Those  he  means 
are  Moiuia  Innofninata,  but  there  is  a  second  set  entitled  Later 
Life,  which  I  hope  may  also  claim  attention.  Following  your 
brotherly  opinion  I  have  written  to  Macmillans  suggesting  the 
immediate  forwarding  both  of  the  old  and  of  the  new  vols,  to  Mr. 
Watts,  whose  address  I  fortunately  have ;  and,  thinking  an  ear/y  copy 
was  one  main  point,  I  further  suggested  that  if  still  unbound  one 
should  go  in  sheets.  6  copies  are  all  I  claim  as  my  free  share, 
though  I  have  no  doubt  I  may  have  more  when  I  want  them  within 
reasonable  limits:  but  these  6  I  supplement  at  once  by  a  few 
purchased. 

The  rent  here,  all  inclusive,  is  £,^.  10.  o  per  week  :  and  this,  divided 
among  4  of  us,  is  not  overwhelming.  On  the  whole  I  think  these 
are  the  very  nicest  lodgings  we  ever  occupied.  Knole  Park  we  have 
passed  by  in  driving,  though  we  might  find  it  too  far  for  a  walk.  .  .  . 
Another  pretty  place  to  drive  through— at  least,  Knole  Park  is  not 
open  to  visitors  in  carriages,  only  to  pedestrians — but  one  may  drive 
through  Wilderness  Park,  and  pretty  it  is.  Then  there  is  a  charming 
wood  hereabouts,  which  recalled  those  near  Hunter's  Forestall ;  and 
there  is  a  quaint,  pretty  village  named  Seal.  I  wonder  if  you  recollect 
any  of  these. 

I  meant  to  bring  Gamberale's  book  with  me,  but  in  the  bustle  of 
preparation  I  left  it  behind.  So  now  I  must  stay  my  curiosity  till  I 
get  home  again.  I  entertain  the  idea  of  sending  him  my  new  volume; 
though  if  Miraggio  is  his  "chef  d'oeuvre"  I  am  not  quite  certain 
whether  Sing-Song  might  not  lend  itself  still  better  than  the  other 
to  his  hand, — Sing-Song  containing  some  of  my  best  songs.     Perhaps 


i88i— TO   DANTE    ROSSETTI  95 

however  it  would  strike  him  as  too  babyish.  If  his  translations 
from  you  are  inadequate,  I  am  glad  that  at  any  rate  his  article  is 
better.  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  "nearly  200  lines  added  to  Jenny"  applies,  not 
to  any  addition  made  by  Dante  Rossetti,  but  to  the  amplification 
appearing  in  Gamberale's  translation.  The  article  in  the  Rassegna 
was  also  by  Gamberale;  and,  by  some  odd  blunder,  the  name  of 
Christina's  prose-volume  Commonplace  had  there  been  given  as 
"Commonplace  Cook." — Mr.  Horder  was  editor  of  a  compilation 
named  The  Poets'  Bible. — The  phrase  "  seated  by  the  grave  of  buried 
hope  "  was  I  think  the  invention  of  Dante  Gabriel  as  defining  the 
tone  of  some  of  Christina's  poems.] 

FAYREMEAD,  SEVENOAICS. 

4  August  18S1. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Nearly  200  lines  added  to  Jenny  is  portentous.  But, 
as  you  imply,  what  an  admirably  appreciative  article  it  is  in  the 
Rassegna.  When  (as  I  contemplate)  I  send  Signor  Gamberale  my 
new  volume,  I  think  I  shall  put  up  with  it  a  i/-  Sing-Song,  and 
thus  he  will  possess  all  my  poems.  How  funny  it  is  to  see  one  of  my 
books  figuring  as  "Commonplace  cook."  Of  course  I  am  feeling 
anxious  about  the  prospects  of  my  Pageant,  and  indeed  I  am  well 
pleased  to  be  away  just  now  from  London.  I  shall  like — or  shall  I 
far  from  like  ?  ! — to  see  Mr.  Caine's  Academy  article,  and  I  hope  and 
fear  in  prospect  of  Mr.  Watts  in  the  Athenceum.  .  .  . 

Oddly  enough  I  also  told  Mr.  Horder  that  I  doubted  whether 
any  one  of  my  pieces  would  come  into  his  scheme.  Besides  a  few 
letters  between  us,  he  called  one  day  on  me,  and  turns  out  to  be 
bright  and  rather  agreeable  and  youngish  if  not  young.  I  think 
however  that,  when  my  fresh  S.P.C.K.  volume  is  actually  published, 
that  may  perhaps  contain  a  poem  or  two  worth  his  consideration.  .  .  . 

Considering  that  I  was  "  old  and  cold  and  grey "  so  many 
years  ago,  it  is  (as  you  suggest)  no  wonder  that  nowadays  I  am  "so 
shrunk  and  sere." — If  only  my  figure  would  shrink  somewhat !  For 
a  fat  poetess  is  incongruous  especially  when  seated  by  'he  grave  of 
buried  hope. 


96  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[The  Pageant,  as  it  turns  out,  has  been  performed  more  than 
once :  once  on  quite  a  striking  scale,  in  the  Albert  Hall,  Kensington. 
— The  "courteous  tilt  in  the  strong-minded  woman  lists,"  between 
Mrs.  Webster  and  Christina,  was  merely  an  interchange  of  private 
letters ;  arising  out  of  an  invitation  from  Mrs.  Webster  that  Christina 
should  give  her  assent  to  the  granting  cf  female  suffrage — which  my 
sister  preferred  not  to  do.  Two  letters  of  hers  on  this  subject, 
addressed  to  Mrs.  Webster,  are  printed  in  Mr.  Mackenzie  Bell's 
work,  Christina  Rossetti. — The  reference  to  a  Dante  picture  and 
Liverpool  arises  from  the  fact  that  my  brother  was  now  negotiating 
for  the  sale  of  his  largest  picture,  Datite^s  Dream,  to  the  Walker 
Art-gallery  in  Liverpool ;  and  it  had  been  suggested  that  the  work 
should  be  sent  to  the  annual  exhibition  in  that  gallery,  and  should 
then,  if  approved,  be  purchased.  He  declined  to  do  this,  unless 
there  were  a  positive  understanding  beforehand  that  purchased  it 
would  be.  J 

FAVREMEAD,    SEVENOAKS. 

9  August  \\%Z\\. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

.  .  .  Indeed  I  am  not  "  sulking  "  beside  the  grave  of  twice- 
buried  hope  because  you  have  not  read  my  book  as  yet.  In  fact, 
there  is  a  certain  sense  in  which  delay  respites  one's  nerves,  however 
in  the  long  run  one  wants  to  be  read :  and  I  am  very  glad  that  a 
glance  has  certified  you  of  something  to  be  liked.  I  too  am  not 
without  hope  that  the  Pageant  may  achieve  some  success  as  a 
drawing-room  acting  piece.  It  had  its  rise  in  one  of  the  All  Saints 
Sisters  asking  me  whether  I  could  concoct  something  performable  by 
her  sister's  family ;  and,  though  the  result  was  on  too  grand  a  scale 
for  the  applicant,  yet  it  was  that  hint  which  first  set  me  off.  The 
piece  was,  in  the  main,  written  at  Seaford  two  summers  ago.  No 
reviews  have  reached  me  as  yet.  I  heard  from  Boston  the  other  day 
(enclosing  a  remittance  of  ;£x  -0-7  !)  informing  me  that  no  early 
sheets  had  reached  Roberts  Brothers :  this  disappoints  me,  but  now 
of  course  they  can  procure  a  copy  and  reprint  from  it.  .  .  . 

This  is  so  lovely  a  place  that  I  could  wish  every  one  to  share  its 
charms.     One  morning  we  drove  to  Knole  Park,  and  strolled  and  sat 


i88i— TO    DANTE    ROSSETTI  97 

there  to  our  hearts'  content :  no  wonder  you  recollect  so  beautiful 
a  spot.  It  charmed  us  along  so  that  our  dearest  Mother  took  quite 
a  long  walk,  rivalling  the  most  active  of  us. 

I  am  not  well  versed  in  George  Eliot  as  a  bard,  but  feel  inclined 
to  rate  Mrs.  Webster  decidedly  higher.  The  latter,  some  of  whose 
poetry  I  really  have  admired,  has  sent  me  her  fresh  volume ;  so  I 
have  duly  returned  mine.  Once  she  and  I  had  a  courteous  tilt  in 
the  strong-minded  woman  lists,  so  it  became  doubly  incumbent  upon 
me  to  fall  short  in  no  observance.  We  think  so  good  a  friend  as 
Mr.  Watts  may  well  receive  even  the  honour  of  a  Dedication  from 
you,  nor  am  I  amazed  that  he  "set  his  heart"  upon  it.  Thanks  for 
an  intelligible  clue  to  "  Common  place  cook  : "  I  had  not  reasoned 
it  out.  .  .  . 

A  second  visit  to  you,  like  the  one  last  April,  is  something  for 
Mamma  and  me  to  look  forward  to:  but  in  any  case  "what  has 
been  has  been,"  and  the  one  we  paid  you  is  good  to  look  back  upon. 

I  should  think  not,  your  "  Dante "  tramp  to  Liverpool  "  on 
approval " ! ! 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Christina's  "  reference  to  the  Portuguese  Somiets  "  comes  in  her 
prose  heading  to  the  "  Sonnet  of  Sonnets  "  named  Monna  Tnnomi- 
nata,  included  in  the  Pageant  volume  ;  and  is  certainly  expressed 
quite  clearly  enough  for  a  reader's  purposes.  What  she  says  in 
her  letter — that  the  speaker  in  her  sonnets  was  not  intended  for 
an  "innominata  at  all" — is  curious,  and  shows  (what  is  every  now 
and  then  apparent  in  her  utterances)  that  her  mind  was  conversant 
with  very  nice  shades  of  distinction.  It  is  indisputable  that  the  real 
veritable  speaker  in  those  sonnets  is  Christina  herself,  giving  expres- 
sion to  her  love  for  Charles  Cayley  :  but  the  prose  heading  would 
surely  lead  any  reader  to  suppose  that  the  ostensible  speaker  is  one 
of  those  ladies,  to  whom  it  adverts,  in  the  days  of  the  troubadours. — 
The  Ballad  of  Boding  does  clearly  bear  some  substantial  resemblance 
— though  a  resemblance  with  much  of  difference — to  Sleep  at  Sea. 
"  The  sonnet  you  hint  at "  is  a  double  sonnet  named  Behold  a  Shaking. 
— "October's  remark"  is  this — 

"  Here  comes  my  youngest  sister,  looking  dim 
And  grim, 
With  dismal  ways. "] 


98  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

30  TOKKINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[5  September  188 1.] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

We  are  all  congratulant  over  the  Dante  picture,  Mamma 
heading  our  family  phalanx.  I  do  certainly  think  it  would  have 
been  sacrificing  real  advantage  to  a  mere  punctilio  if  you  had  held 
out  about  its  being  sold  (merely  in  appearance)  from  the  Exhibition. 
It  looks  very  friendly  of  Mr.  Caine  to  have  gone  off  to  Liverpool  on 
purpose  to  see  with  his  own  eyes.  I  am  much  pleased  with  his 
Academy  article,  though  sorry  that  he  seems  to  have  misapprehended 
my  reference  to  the  Portuguese  Sonfieis.  Surely  not  only  what  I 
meant  to  say  but  what  I  do  say  is,  not  that  the  Lady  of  those  sonnets 
is  surpassable,  but  that  a  "  Donna  innominata  "  by  the  same  hand 
might  well  have  been  unsurpassable.  The  Lady  in  question,  as  she 
actually  stands,  I  was  not  regarding  as  an  "innominata"  at  all, — 
because  the  latter  type,  according  to  the  traditional  figures  I  had  in 
view,  is  surrounded  by  unlike  circumstances.  I  rather  wonder  that  no 
one  (so  far  as  I  know)  ever  hit  on  my  semi-historical  argument  before 
for  such  treatment, — it  seems  to  me  so  full  of  poetic  suggestiveness. 
That  you  praise  it  endorses  its  worth  to  me,  and  I  am  graced  by  Mr. 
Watts's  approbation.  I  do  not  recall  anything  in  my  private  [?  previous] 
volume  which  foreshadows  the  Ballad  of  Bodifig :  but  your  memory 
may  well  outdo  mine.  As  to  the  Sonnet  you  hint  at,  I  cannot  joke  on 
that  subject.  I  am  desirous  of  the  Athe?i(?u7n  critique,  and  fancied 
it  might  be  out  ere  this ;  but  am  not  impatient.  In  a  letter  from 
Mrs.  Scott  Scotus  sent  me  up  a  warm  admiring  word  on  "  Monna."  .  .  . 

To  get  back  a  moment  to  my  book, — I  cannot  forbear  adding 
how  delighted  I  am  at  the  favourable  verdicts  on  the  Pageant.  I 
fancy  it  among  the  best  and  most  wholesome  things  I  have  produced, 
and  I  have  had  a  quiet  grin  over  October's  remark  which  ushers  in 
November,  as  connecting  it  with  my  own  brothers  and  myself! 
Pray  appreciate  the  portrait. — It  dawns  upon  me  that  Sleep  at  Sea 
is  the  piece  in  your  mind :  I  hope  the  diversity  is  sufficient  to  justify 
the  Ballad  of  Boding. 

Surely  you  need  not  restrict  your  affectionate  family  callers  to 
those  moments  when  there  is  something  "  to  show  " : — but  this  is 
merely  an  observation  en  passant. 

With  a  best  of  good  loves  from  our  Mother,  &c. 


i88i— TO    DANTE   ROSSETTI  99 


To  Dante  Rossetti,  Fisher  Place,  Cimiberland. 

[Dante  Rossetti,  in  company  with  Mr.  Hall  Caine,  had  now  gone 
to  a  very  retired  spot  in  Cumberland  to  recruit  his  health — which, 
however,  he  did  not  succeed  in  doing  to  any  perceptible  extent. 
He  had  sent  to  our  mother  a  letter  (not  addressed  to  himself) 
from  Sir  J.  Noel  Paton,  expressing  enthusiastic  admiration  for 
the  picture  of  Dante's  Dream.  His  "poems"  were  the  volume 
named  Ballads  and  Sontiets ;  there  was  also  another  volume, 
published  about  the  same  time,  re-issuing,  with  some  considerable 
variations,  the  volume  Poems  of  1870,  but  I  infer  that  Christina  had 
not  as  yet  seen  the  re-issue. — The  passage  about  "the  snail"  is  a 
reply  to  one  in  Dante  Gabriel's  letter  to  our  mother,  2  2  September  : 
"Christina  will  be  interested  to  hear  that,  as  I  was  leaning  over  a 
bridge  to-day,  an  old  snail  came  up  out  of  his  shell  and  submitted  to 
be  stroked,  after  which  he  retired."] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    VV.C. 

[1881— ?  24  September.'] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Your  letters  in  general  and  this  one  in  particular  charm 
our  Mother.  Her  dearest  love  to  you,  and  delight  in  your  delight 
amid  your  beautiful  new  world.  Sir  Noel  Paton  (herein  returned, 
but  not  before  I  copied  the  passage  for  her  to  keep)  gives  her  keen 
pleasure ;  nor,  I  assure  you,  in  all  this  am  I  without  my  share  of 
sympathetic  enjoyment.  Mamma  is  reading  your  Poems,  noting  her 
favourites  ;  but  besides  this  we  are  to  have  the  joint  treat  of  my 
reading  them  aloud  to  her,  and  already  I  have  dipped  enough  to  thrill 
and  warm  to  the  much  beauty. 

The  snail — I  interpose  a  space  between  him  and  your  poems ! — 
soothes  and  solaces  my  taste.     "  Gli  voglio  bene."  .  .  . 

I  have  not  seen  any  more  reviews  of  my  volume,  and  have  failed 
to  procure  the  severe  Pall  Mall  through  some  mistake  in  the  date. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Christina  quotes  here  an  expression  of  Dante  Rossetti  in  eulogy 
of  Mr.  Hall  Caine.     It  may  be  inferred  that  she  had  thereupon,  in  a 


loo  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

letter  not  now  forthcoming,  indulged  in  some  reciprocation  of  this 
eulogy,  including  in  it  more  or  less  Mr.  George  Hake  and  Mr. 
Treffry  Dunn ;  and  that  Dante  had  replied  (whether  reasonably  or 
otherwise)  damping  down  her  laudation.  He  was  now  returning 
from  Cumberland.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[1881— ?  19  Ociohr.'] 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

By  the  same  delivery  as  your  welcome  letter  came  the 
Athemciim  review  of  your  poems.  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  saw 
anything  so  good  of  Mr.  Watts's,  and  I  am  happy  to  see  him  shine 
as  a  planet  in  conjunction  with  our  family  sun.  I  am  wanting  (yet 
dreading  ?)  to  see  some  day  the  additions  to  Sister  Hele7i : — have 
even  you  really  found  it  possible  to  augment  advantageously  that 
terse  fierce  masterpiece  ?  We  usually  see  the  AthencBuvi  more  or 
less  after  date,  so  the  delay  of  this  number  was  a  mere  matter  of 
course. 

I  dare  say  my  "  burst "  read  quite  as  abruptly  as  yours  !  But  it 
had  its  source  simply  in  your  own  words  to  our  Mother :  "  Caine  is 
excessively  attentive  and  friendly,  and  is  really  quite  an  abnegator  of 
self.'''  Hero-worship  is  not  the  feeling  I  dedicate  to  George  Hake, 
much  less  to  Mr.  Dunn,  though  I  have  a  warm  liking  for  the  former 
and  a  secondary  do.  for  the  latter:  but  I  can  imagine  grave  faults  in 
both,  and  am  quite  sure  you  know  a  great  deal  about  them  which 
must  (and  is  most  welcome  to)  continue  unknown  to  me.  Yet  I 
recollect  our  good  Maria  once  remarking  that  one  never  understood 
a  person  unless  one  liked  him,  and  so  far  I  fancy  I  may  have  the 
best  chance  of  grasping  our  subject.  Nevertheless  facts  are  stubborn 
things,  not  to  be  modified  by  a  Quixotic  view-point.  I  fear  you 
are  at  this  moment  travelling  up  in  the  cold,  and  proportionately 
uncomfortable.  And  the  house-hunting  is  an  overhanging  dreariness. 
May  you  get  well  through  both,  but  the  latter  makes  me  anxious 
for  you. 

Our  Mother's  love  to  you  :  she  too  admires  the  Watts  article, 
with  its  felicitous  passage  about  the  nightingale  singing  to  the 
Sahara. 


i88i— FROM    CAYLEY  loi 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[1881— ?  21  October. '\ 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

William  tells  us  you  have  not  seen  the  Times  review,  and, 
as  he  seems  to  think  you  may  like  to  look  at  it,  our  Mother  sends 
it  with  love.  .  .  .  She  and  I  were  reading  some  more  of  your  Sonnets 
this  morning  in  a  harmony  of  admiration,  and  in  Chimes  I  revel 
in  the  moth. 

Dear  Maria's  Shadow  of  Dante  has  reached  a  3rd  edition. 

From  Charles  Cayley. 

[The  reference  to  "  Horace's  second  Ode "  is  obscure  to  me  : 
perhaps  Cayley  had  been  translating  the  poem. — ^The  Howell  here 
mentioned  must  be  Charles  Augustus  Howell,  an  Anglo-Portuguese 
frequently  referred  to  in  books  about  Dante  Rossetti.  The 
"  Napoleonic  discourse "  must  have  been  one  delivered  at  the 
Philological  Society  by  the  celebrated  linguist  of  the  Bonaparte 
family.] 

6  November  1881. 
Dear  Christina  Rossetti, 

For  Horace's  second  ode,  in  some  respects,  I  won't  venture 
to  apologize  to  you ;  conserva  pur  la  speme,  dolce  monna.  I  met  quite 
unexpectedly  at  the  Philol.  our  old  friend  Howell :  besides  that,  we 
were,  I  won't  say  enlightened  but  embrightened,  by  handsome  Mrs. 
Furnivall.  But  I  and  Howell,  in  succession,  both  shifted  our  chairs 
during  the  Napoleonic  discourse,  I  to  avoid  the  heat,  and  H.  to 
listen  greedily  to  the  Prince's  Portuguese  examples,  which  seem  to 
have  been  pronounced  to  his  entire  satisfaction.  Afterwards  he 
introduced  himself  to  the  Prince,  and  they  talked  away  in  English, 
French,  and  Portuguese,  not  without  very  civil  references  to  me,  the 
Prince  in  regard  to  my  Russian  grammar  paper  and  Howell  from  his 
points  of  view.  So  flowed  that  hour,  but  what  can  I  say  of  Saturday 
except  that  the  Museum  was  quite  spifflicaiting  (I  have  a  cousin  in 
the  North  country  who  emphasizes  her  words  by  putting  as  many 


I02  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

letters  as  possible  into  them,  and  I  suppose  would  not  stick  at 
creighture  or  Wraddicall).  I  saw  too  on  Friday  H.  Leifchild's  bas 
relief  of  Ariadtie  and  Bacchus.  Ariadne  sits  under  a  tree,  her  head 
drooping  though  not  entirely.  Bacchus  advances  with  earnest 
curiosity,  one  arm  thrown  behind  him  and  the  hand  raised  to  motion 
"  backward  "  to  his  followers  ;  said  followers  are  two  Maenads,  striding 
forward  and  stopped  suddenly.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  is  consequent  upon  an  incident  which  I  have  recorded 
in  my  Afemoir  of  Da?ite  Rossetti,  as  follows: — "By  21  November  I 
observed  him  to  be  somewhat  less  shaken  in  health,  but  deeply 
melancholy.  Matters  of  very  old  as  well  as  more  recent  date  agitated 
his  mind;  even  so  old  as  the  year  1847  or  1848,  when  his  desultory 
habits  of  work,  or  lack  of  filial  deference,  used  to  annoy  our  father, 
and  elicit  some  severe  expressions  from  him."  My  brother  showed 
on  this  occasion  some  inclination  to  consult  a  Roman  Catholic  priest. 
I  mentioned  the  matter  to  Christina.  Mr.  Burrows,  whom  she  names 
(soon  afterwards  Canon  Burrows  of  Rochester),  was  the  Anglican  in- 
cumbent of  Christ  Church,  Albany  Street,  and  well  known  to  my 
family  for  many  years  past.  However,  my  brother  did  not  in  fact 
consult  either  a  Catholic  or  an  Anglican.] 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  W.C. 

[30  November  18S1.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thinking  about  what  you  said  of  poor  dear  Gabriel's 
distress,  I  seem  to  recover  a  shadowy  recollection  of  the  incident, 
and,  if  I  am  right,  Mamma  used  her  influence  successfully  to  get 
the  words  unsaid.  /  cannot,  perhaps,  start  the  subject,  as  it  has 
never  been  mentioned  to  me :  but  possibly  yo7i  may  feel  able  to  do 
so.  No  wonder  that  in  weakness  and  suffering  such  a  reminiscence 
haunts  weary  days  and  sleepless  hours  of  double  darkness.  How 
exceedingly  I  wish  Mr.  Burrows  or  one  like  him  had  access  within 
the  nearly-closed  precincts :  you  must  laugh  at  me  if  you  will,  but 
I  really  think  a  noble  spiritual  influence  might  do  what  no  common 
sense,  foresight  of  ruin,  aff"ection  of  friends,  could  secure.  And  Mr. 
Burrows  I  know  he  respects. 

In  much  anxiety  and  sympathy,  &c.  .  .  . 


i88i— TO    LUCY   ROSSETTI  103 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30   TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

[2  December  1881.] 

My  dearest  Gabriel, 

I  write  because  I  cannot  but  write,  for  you  are  continually 
in  my  thoughts  and  always  in  my  heart,  much  more  in  our  Mother's 
who  sends  you  her  love  and  dear  blessing. 

I  want  to  assure  you  that,  however  harassed  by  memory  or  by 

anxiety  you  may  be,  I  have  (more  or  less)  heretofore  gone  through 

the  same  ordeal.     I  have  borne  myself  till  I   became  unbearable 

by  myself,  and  then  I  have  found  help  in  confession  and  absolution 

and  spiritual  counsel,  and  relief  inexpressible.     Twice  in  my  life  I 

tried  to  suffice  myself  with  measures  short  of  this,  but  nothing  would 

do ;   the  first  time  was  of  course  in  my  youth  before  my  general 

confession,  the  second  time  was  when  circumstances  had   led  me 

(rightly  or  wrongly)  to  break  off  the  practice.     But  now  for  years 

past  I  have   resumed  the   habit,   and   I  hope   not   to   continue   it 

profitlessly. 

"  'Tis  like  frail  man  to  love  to  walk  on  high, 
But  to  be  lowly  is  to  be  like  God," 

is  a  couplet  (Isaac  Williams)  I  thoroughly  assent  to. 

I  ease  my  own  heart  by  telling  you  all  this,  and  I  hope  I  do  not 
weary  yours.  Don't  think  of  me  merely  as  the  younger  sister  whose 
glaring  faults  are  known  to  you,  but  as  a  devoted  friend  also. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

[It  was  on  II  December  1881  that  my  brother  had  an  attack  of 
partial  paralysis,  the  precursor  of  the  form  of  illness  which  brought 
his  life  to  a  close  on  9  April  1882.  This  letter,  as  will  be  seen,  was 
written  soon  after  the  attack.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

[21  December  1881.] 

My  DEAR  Lucy, 

I  dare  say  you  guess  what  is  coming !  Mamma  sends  you 
love,  but  has  not  courage  to  dine  out  on  Christmas  Day :  she  falls 
back  on  her  resolution  formed  after  her  last  such  experiment,  when 


I04  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

she  resolved  that  that  particular  effort  should  really  be  the  last  of 
its  kind.  So  our  party  of  old  ladies  will  dine  (d.v.)  peacefully  in 
company,  meanwhile  wishing  every  blessing  to  yourself  and  dear 
William  and  la  cara  prole.  To-night  festivities  recede  into  extra 
impossibility,  for  we  have  been  seeing  Gabriel,  and  have  borne  the 
shock  of  finding  out  the  state  he  is  in,  laid  up  and  partly  powerless. 
God  help  us,  for  human  help  is  but  a  very  helpless  thing. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[I  hardly  know  what  was  the  "  little  picture  "  finished  by  Dante 
Gabriel ;  it  may  probably  have  been  the  latest  that  he  brought  to 
actual  completion.] 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,  W.C. 

23  [Jannary'l  1882. 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

.  .  .  We  had  the  pleasure  of  a  second  visit  from  Gabriel 
last  week — on  Thursday,  I  think, — when  he  was  more  animated 
and  mentioned  having  finished  a  little  picture.  Our  dear  Mother 
sends  you  love,  and  she  cheers  me  by  being  quite  decidedly 
better.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,  W.C. 

[2  February  18S2.] 

My  dear  William, 

INIamma  thinks  you  may  have  heard  that  she  and  I  were 
likely  to  go  down  with  Gabriel  to  Birchington  next  Saturday,  and, 
if  so,  she  wishes  you  to  know  that  the  plan  has  failed  because  Mr. 
Stewart  absolutely  refuses  his  assent,  thinking  the  risk  too  great  for 
her  to  incur  at  this  season  and  in  conjunction  with  her  recent  attack 
of  illness.  We  are  sorry  for  poor  dear  Gabriel,  but  I  can  only  write 
him  word  of  the  imperative  disappointment.  He  came  here  yesterday 
seeming  quite  as  well  and  cheerful  as  we  could  expect,  and  his 
leaving  town  next  Saturday  seems  to  be  fully  fixed.  There  is  a  long 
review  of  his  book  in  this  week's  Guardian,  in  part  enthusiastically 


i882— FROM    DANTE    ROSSETTI  105 

laudatory ;  doubtless  we  shall  recover  it  from  Aunt  Charlotte  some 
day,  when  if  you  please  you  can  read  it. 

Dearest  Mamma  continues  satisfactory  .  .  . 

To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

8  February  [1882]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Every  day  you  are  in  our  anxious  thoughts,  most  of  all  in 
Mamma's.  She  sends  you  her  dearest  love  and  every  good  wish  she 
can  frame.  Mr.  Stewart,  seeing  her  yesterday,  repeated  that  a  change 
of  weather  must  precede  her  going  out, — so  we  are  awaiting  such  a 
change.  If  it  takes  place  and  is  of  some  duration  we  are  still  looking 
forward  to  the  not-impossibility  of  your  liking  us  to  join  you  at 
Birchington. 

I  enclose  a  review  sent  me  from  Macmillan  :  perhaps,  being 
foreign,  it  is  the  less  likely  to  fall  in  your  way.  Please,  at  your 
convenience,  let  us  have  it  back,  as  it  belongs  to  the  maternal  store 
of  such  documents.  Roberts  (Boston)  has  sent  me  ^,\2  45.  8^/. 
just  now :  but  he  is  disappointed  (and  I  somewhat)  at  the  sale  of 
the  Fageanf, — under  500 :  part  of  the  small  sum  accrues  from  the 
former  volume. 

From  Dante  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  Frederick  R.  Leyland,  the  ship-owner  of  Liverpool, 
was  one  of  the  leading  purchasers  of  Dante  Rossetti's  paintings. 
Towards  this  time  he  was  staying  at  Ramsgate,  and  up  to  the  last  he 
was  very  attentive  to  Rossetti,  to  whom  he  was  greatly  attached.] 

[15  February  18S2.] 

My  dear  Christina, 

Of  course  Monday  was  a  stupid  slip  for  Thursday.  But  I 
think  the  matter  must  be  in  abeyance  for  a  little,  much  as  I  regret 
this.  It  is  very  stormy  here  just  now, — then  there  is  Leyland's  visit 
probable, — and  I  should  not  perhaps  refrain  from  saying  that  I  have 
been  more  than  usually  ill  for  some  days.  Indeed  I  wish  L.  were 
not  coming,  but  there  has  already  been  delay  about  his  visit.  Do  not 
be  alarmed,  as  there  is  no  necessity.     I  will  write  again  very  soon. 


io6  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[My  "admirably  descriptive  letter"  must  have  been  a  letter  to  my 
cousin  Teodorico  giving  some  sort  of  description  of  my  father's 
aspect  and  habits.  He,  with  a  view  to  a  projected  monument  at 
Vasto,  had  asked  Dante  Gabriel  to  make  some  sketches  of  my 
father  :  but  my  brother's  condition  of  health  did  not  admit  of  his 
doing  anything  efficient,  so  I  wrote  down  some  details  instead. — 
Christina's  notes  as  to  my  father's  appearance  will  explain  themselves 
pretty  well.  The  final  item,  "  Menacing  look  connected  with 
removing  shade,"  refers  to  something  I  had  written  as  to  a  somewhat 
"  menacing  look  "  in  the  oil-portrait  of  him  by  my  brother  painted  in 
1848:  this  (as  Christina  implies)  arose  from  the  very  imperfect 
condition  of  his  eyesight  when,  in  sitting  for  the  portrait,  he  took  off 
an  eye-shade  which  he  then  habitually  used.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[19  February  1S82.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thankyou  for  budget  full  of  interest.  Perhaps  the  enclosed 
pencil  scrap  will  show  you  the  points  Mamma  and  I  have  annotated 
in  your  admirably  descriptive  letter — if  you  can  make  it  out.  I 
return  Theo.  and  D.  G.,  adding  one  from  the  latter  to  me  which  can 
be  returned  to  me  any  day  you  come  here.  .  .  .  Pray  do  not  ascribe 
all  his  doings  and  non-doings  to  foundationless  fidgetiness,  poor  dear 
fellow.  Don't  you  think  neither  you  nor  I  can  quite  appreciate  all 
he  is  undergoing  at  present,  what  between  wrecked  health  at  least  in 
some  measure,  nerves  which  appear  to  falsify  facts,  and  most  anxious 
money-matters  ?  It  is  trying  to  have  to  do  with  him  at  times,  but 
what  must  it  be  to  be  himself?  And  he  in  so  many  ways  the  head 
of  our  family — it  doubles  the  pity.  I  have  just  written  answering  his 
(enclosed)  letter,  but  Mr.  Stewart  continues  to  object  to  Mamma's 
risking  the  Birchington  visit.  He  is  no  longer  in  attendance,  but 
happened  to-day  to  see  her  as  a  friend. 

She  sends  you  love. 

It  was  good  Maria's  birthday  yesterday,  and  I  went  to  the  Home 
and  saw  beautiful  Sister  Eliza. 

Height  rather  5-7.     Throat  massive.     Adam's  apple  large.     Blue 


i882— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  107 

and  black  check.  Eyes  and  mouth  beautiful.  Smile  very  engaging. 
Teeth  white  and  regular.  Very  thin  at  last,  but  never  slim.  Mena- 
cing look  connected  with  removing  shade. 


To  Dante  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,   W.C. 

27  {February  1882]. 

My  dear  Gabriel, 

Our  Mother,  with  much  love,  responds  in  kind  (as  also  do 
I)  to  your  renewed  kind  invitation,  and  hopes  we  shall  really  be  with 
you  in  the  course  of  IVednesday  afternoon  .  .  . 

We  are  sorry  for  your  hindered  work,  and  still  more  sorry  for  the 
failure  of  galvanism  to  restore  your  poor  dear  arm.  If  we  say  little 
about  your  health,  it  is  not  because  we  are  indifferent  on  the  subject. 
Thankyou  for  the  chronic  good-nature  which  tells  me  of  2  mentions 
of  me :  I  look  forward  to  seeing  both  Athenccian  and  Academy 
when  with  you. 

The  chair  is  a  heretofore  unforeseen  but  now  gladly  foreseen 
haven  of  rest. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  (John  H.)  Ingram  had  become  Editor  of  the  series  of 
memoirs  named  Eminent  Women.  He  wished  Christina  to  write 
one  of  the  memoirs,  and  she  was  not  disinclined,  but  it  did  not 
come  to  pass. — I  do  not  now  remember  who  was  the  Mr.  Nicoll 
referred  to,  unless  perhaps  it  was  Dr.  Robertson  Nicoll  :  the  book 
he  spoke  of  was  Christina's  privately  printed  Verses,  1847.  I  possess 
a  later  letter  from  Christina,  1886,  showing  that  her  Mr.  Nicoll  was 
then  a  resident  at  Kelso.] 

WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,    KENT. 

4  Rlarch  1S82. 

My  dear  William, 

I  cannot  give  at  all  a  bright  account  of  Gabriel,  yet  I  have 
seen  him  by  far  more  depressed  and  unavailable.  He  now  reads 
amusing  books  sedulously,  talks  about  them  and  draws  our  attention 


io8  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

to  them.  How  much  or  how  little  he  sleeps  I  cannot  accurately  say, 
— in  some  degree,  I  hope ;  but  am  not  certain.  One  of  the  most 
troublesome  and  actively  distressing  points  now  appears  to  be  a 
terrible  defect  of  digestion  .  .  .  The  poor  left  side,  the  arm  and  hand 
especially,  continues  crippled.  I  am  afraid  no  sensible  improvement 
takes  place.  He  has  not  gone  out  since  our  arrival,  having  been  but 
poorly  since  the  attack  which  delayed  our  journey ;  and  he  thinks 
it  too  cold  for  driving  in  an  open  carriage.  Very  cold  it  is,  but  fine 
and  sunny  and  nothing  noticeable  as  to  windiness.  I  am  not  sure, 
but  I  have  some  idea  that  his  work  is  waiting  for  something  or  other 
to  be  done  by  some  one  else  :  it  seems  at  a  stand,  but  I  see  a  finished 
(I  believe)  Proserpine  and  Jeanne  (TArc  standing  in  this  beautiful 
drawing-room,  one  end  of  which  forms  the  studio  with  easel  and 
other  appliances.  I  wish  you  could  come  down,  but  I  well  know 
you  are  full  of  business.  Mr.  Watts  arrived  here  to-day,  and  is  most 
welcome  to  us  ;  Mr.  Caine  is  friendly  and  pleasant,  and  so  far  as  I 
see  on  comfortable  terms  with  Gabriel ;  Lily  Caine  is  a  nice  unob- 
trusive child  of  12, — a  real  child,  not  a  young  person. 

I  have  not  yet  written  to  Mr.  Ingram,  but  hope  to  write  on 
Monday.  I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  NicoU  this  morning,  and  in  a  P.S. 
he  says  : — "  I  observed  a  copy  of  the  little  volume  you  refer  to  (/.  e. 
Grandpapa! s)  in  Mr.  Pearson's  catalogue  the  other  day ;  the  price  I 
think  was  five  guineas  " — -j",  I  read  it,  but  you  know  Mr.  NicoU's 
handwriting  is  not  pellucid. 

Our  mother's  love,  and  mine,  to  you  and  yours. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mrs.  Abrey  was  a  sick-nurse  who  remained  with  Dante  Rossetti 
to  the  end. — The  "  ballad  of  a  grotesque-horrid  type  "  was  called 
The  Dutchma7i^s  Pipe,  or  Ja7i  van  Hunks.  Rossetti  took  it  up  on 
his  deathbed,  completed  it,  and  presented  the  MS.  as  a  gift  to  Mr. 
Watts-Dunton :  the  general  frame  of  it,  however,  belongs  to  a  very 
early  date  in  his  life,  perhaps  1847.  It  has  not  as  yet  been  published. 
— The  doctor  in  Birchington  who  attended  Dante  from  time  to  time 
was  Dr.  Harris.  When  I  was  again  at  Birchington  in  1906  I 
observed  that  his  well-remembered  door-plate  is  still  on  his  house- 
door. — Mr.  Martin  was  the  tenant  or  manager  of  a  hotel  near  the 
bungalows  at  Birchington — which  was  then  a  less  settled  residential 


i882— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  109 

place  than  it  is  now. — The  phrase  "  I  should  decline  the  2  Georges  " 
means  George  Sand  and  George  Eliot.— Mrs.  Gemmer,  a  lady  well 
known  to  Christina  (still  I  think  alive),  used  the  fancy-name  Gerda 
Fay  for  her  books.] 

WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,    KENT. 

8  March  1SS2. 

My  dear  William, 

Thanks  for  your  letter  full  of  interest  and  brotherly 
kindness.  Our  dear  Gabriel  passed  nearly  the  whole  of  yesterday  in 
bed,  so  far  as  I  know ;  but  at  any  rate  in  the  evening  he  sat  up. 
This  lapse  into  bed  was  led  to  by  a  touch  in  one  foot  of  what  seems 
gout ;  as  to  its  being  so  Mrs.  Abrey  and  Mr.  Watts  were  unanimous. 
Happily  the  rest  and  safe-keeping  of  his  foot  kept  him  fairly  comfort- 
able ;  and,  when  Mamma  and  I  sat  with  him  a  considerable  time  in 
the  afternoon,  he  was  chatty  and  reasonably  cheerful,  inclined,  as  so 
often  is  the  case,  to  revive  old  memories,  but  not  under  gloomy 
aspects.  ...  I  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  him  as  yet  to-day,  but 
hope  that  he  may  be  tolerable;  after  swallowing  yesterday  .  .  . 
medicine  considered  indispensable  before  grappHng  with  gout  as  gout : 
on  this  point  Mr.  Watts  pronounced  imperatively.  He  left  this  morn- 
ing rather  early,  before  we  could  see  him,  and  a  great  loss  he  is  from 
our  anxious  circle.  His  kindness  is  beyond  praise,  and  Mr.  Caine 
co-operates  in  friendly  offices.  We  find  Lily  Caine— who  by  fairness 
deserves  her  promotion  from  Elizabeth  to  Lily— an  agreeable  small 
inmate.  One  point  gained  is  that  Mr.  Watts  is  quite  struck  with  the 
mental  improvement  achieved  :  a  ballad  of  a  grotesque-horrid  type 
is  in  hand,  and  so  far  as  I  observe  not  a  shadow  of  delusmi  comes 
to  light.  I  read  G.  your  messages  of  love  and  regret  for  absenteeism, 
and  also  the  P.S.  about  Arthur,  which  charms  Mamma  who  sends  you 
best  love.  I  am  much  amused  at  his  addiction  to  decillions,  which 
used  to  figure  in  my  own  infant  conversation.  Pray  give  our  2  loves 
to  Lucy  and  all  round. 

Since    writing    what    precedes    I    have    seen     Mrs.    Abrey    (it 

is  now  about   noon).  ...     By  Mr.   Watts's  advice   before  starting 

Mr.  Caine  has  obtained  from  Mr.  Martin  a  doctor's  name  in  the 

■  village  who  can  be  called  in  in  case  of  an  emergency  ...     I  do 

not  know  what  to  think  or  how  much  to  fear,  but  at  the  least  I  cannot 


no  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

help  fearing  that  more  symptoms  than  one  point  to  a  sluggishness 
or  congestion  (what  is  it  to  be  called  ?)  pervading  the  frame,  and  of 
which  the  arm  and  left  side  are  but  one  strongly  affected  seat.  Mr. 
Watts  says,  and  seems  sure,  that  the  arm  is  really  affected  by  a 
degree  of  chloral  paralysis.  This  is  all  grievous  for  you  to  read,  but 
I  on  the  spot  must  write  as  I  hear.  Be  sure  I  will  not  neglect  to  let 
you  know  of  important  points;  so  while  I  do  not  write  trust  that 
there  is  nothing  special.  Mr.  Martin  came  in  one  evening  and 
seems  to  be  a  kind-hearted  intelligent  man  most  friendlily  disposed, 
and  able  to  converse  on  books  and  intellectual  topics.  He  has  lent 
the  bungalow  a  good  large  telescope,  adequate  to  displaying  Saturn's 
Rings  as  I  am  told.  .  .  . 

Now  for  other  matters.  Everything  you  do  in  the  Ingram  business 
has  my  gratitude.  I  will  remember  "Dare,"  not  "d'Arc." — Mrs. 
Fry  I  would  gladly  try  at,  nor  do  I  fancy  I  should  find  Lady  Augusta 
Statiky  insurmountable  :  I  should  decline  the  2  Georges,  and  prefer 
leaving  Miss  Martineau.  Mary  Lamb  I  should  think  would  be 
both  manageable  and  well  worth  writing.  Meanwhile  it  strikes  me 
that  the  very  person  to  write  A.  A.  Procter  would  be  not  myself  but 
Anna  Mary  Watts,  who  was  in  the  heart  of  that  social  set  instead  of 
(as  I  was)  on  its  merest  outskirt.  I  had  a  long  letter  from  Mr. 
Ingram  this  morning,  which  I  must  answer  before  sending  it  you, — 
afterwards,  it  may  perhaps  interest  you  to  read  it.  .  .  .  Without 
counting  Anna  Mary  (whom  I  think  of  naming  as  presumably  more 
to  the  point  than  myself  for  A.  A.  P.)  3  friends  suggest  themselves 
as  worth  pointing  out  to  Mr.  Ingram  as  perhaps  adapted  and  willing 
to  contribute  biographies, — Mrs.  Scott,  Mrs.  Gemmer,  and  most  of 
all  Henrietta  Rintoul :  these  I  should  myself  name  to  him,  if  you 
are  struck  as  I  am  with  their  merits  ;  but  I  should  like  to  have  your 
opinion  first.  By  the  by,  I  must  ask  Mr.  Ingram  for  Mrs.  Procter's 
address,  but  he  lavishes  offers  of  aid  upon  me. 

Far  from  being  less  well,  our  dear  Mother  bore  the  journey  with 
impunity,  and  now  thrives  in  this  fine  and  not  unduly  keen  air.  .  .  . 

I  sent  my  notes  of  good  Maria's  life  to  Mr.  Nicoll  on  Monday, 
but  have  not  heard  from  him  since.  Could  you  believe  that  down 
here  I  feel  over-full  of  occupation  ! ! !  It  must,  you  may  say,  be  a 
mere  morbid  sensation ;  and  very  likely  so  it  is  in  a  measure  :  I 
must  bear  in  mind  the  celebrated  "There  will  be  eternity  to  rest  in." 


i882— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[A  passage  in  this  letter,  as  also  in  a  preceding  one,  might  lead 
to  an  inference  that  I  rather  doubted  the  gravity  of  our  brother's 
illness.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case  :  I  was  but  too  fully  alive 
to  it.  I  may  have  repeated  to  Christina,  what  I  knew  on  medical 
authority,  that  some  symptoms  of  the  illness  partook  of  delusion 
consequent  on  the  illness  itself;  as  for  instance,  when  he  thought  he 
could  not  move  his  arm,  he  could  in  fact  have  done  so  if  only  his 
volition  had  been  in  a  normally  healthy  state.  But,  the  volition 
faiUng,  the  ability  practically  failed  as  well.  The  letter  of  28  March 
adverts  to  this.] 


WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,    BIRCIIINGTON-ON-SEA,    KENT. 

14  March  1882. 

My  DEAR  William, 

With  all  my  wish  to  send  you  news,  I  really  cannot  say  whether 
Gabriel  is  gaining  or  losing  ground.  In  some  ways  the  symptoms 
appear  favourable.  The  night  before  last  he  slept  comparatively  well 
without  any  sedative  :  last  night  was  much  more  restless,  but  not  I 
think  at  all  exceptionally  restless.  To-day  we  are  expecting  to  see  him 
enter  the  sitting-room  :  till  to-day  he  has,  ever  since  the  touch  of 
gout  (?)  been  confined  to  his  own  room  and  in  great  measure  to 
bed.  Wherever  he  is.  Mamma  and  I  sit  with  him  a  great  deal ;  and 
he  reads  not  novels  only,  but  occasionally  he  takes  up  a  newspaper. 
I  spoke  to  Mrs.  Abrey  this  morning,  aiming  to  arrive  at  her  real 
opinion  : — she  cannot  account  for  the  continued  wasting  away  which 
goes  on  in  spite  of  food  and  in  some  measure  of  tonics ;  and  she 
considers  that  he  has  retrograded  from  the  point  at  which  he 
stood  some  while  ago,  when  (say)  he  arrived  here.  This  is  sad 
indeed,  but  the  not  saying  it  is  vain.  On  the  other  hand  we  cannot 
be  thankful  enough  that  his  head  is  clear  and  composed  to  such 
a  degree  that  I  could  not  even  (judging  by  appearances)  suspect 
its  ever  having  been  otherwise.  Mrs.  Abrey  seems  to  fear  that  some 
deep-seated  mischief  may  exist  in  the  liver  or  what  not,  undermining 
the  possibility  of  returning  health.  ...  I  think  there  are  grounds 
to  fear  that  some  terrible  mischief  lurks  in  his  constitution,  and  is 
(so  to  say)  burrowing  about  him  and  checking  any  return  of  strength 


112  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

or  revival  of  sensitiveness.  Mrs.  Abrey  we  like  very  much  and 
depend  upon  thoroughly.  Not  a  word  is  said  about  how  long  or 
how  short  a  time  we  may  stay  here.  The  weather  to-day  is  delightful, 
and  on  the  whole  has  been  mild  and  favourable.  Pray  do  not 
doubt  the  reality  of  poor  dear  Gabriel's  illness  :  do  not  let  any 
theory  or  any  opinion  influence  you  to  entertain  such  a  doubt.  Mr. 
Caine  is  away  at  present,  for  how  long  I  know  not.  Mr.  Martin 
(I  fancied  you  knew  about  him)  is  builder  to  Mr.  John  Seddon  as 
concerns  this  group  of  variously-constructed  bungalows,  and  is  also 
at  the  head  of  a  bungalow  Hotel  and  Boarding  House  close  by ;  and  he 
is  an  intelligent  man  and  a  most  kind  neighbour.  Mr.  Watts,  leaving 
here,  was  going  to  see  Mr.  Marshall  the  same  day :  and  evidently  he 
did  so,  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  he  sent  down  a  fresh  prescription 
from  Mr.  Marshall. 

I  too  have  written  to  Mr.  Ingram  endorsing  your  suggestion  of 
Anna  Mary,  proposing  friends,  and  saying  that  for  the  present  I  find 
it  impossible  to  set  to  work.  Should  a  better  moment  occur  later,  I 
can  then  re-start  the  subject.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Malvern  and  \Volverhampton  are  mentioned  here  because  I  had 
to  deliver  a  lecture  at  Wolverhampton,  staying  meanwhile  at  the 
house  at  Malvern  of  Dr.  Grindrod,  whom  I  had  known  for  a  year 
past  more  as  the  author  of  some  interesting  historical  dramas  than  in 
his  medical  capacity.] 

WESTCLIFF    BUNGALOW,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,    KENT. 

17  March  1S82. 

My  dear  William, 

Very  welcome  indeed  was  your  good  brotherly  letter  received 
this  morning.  Touching  on  it  with  Mr.  Caine,  he  asked  me  to  let 
you  know  that  (as  I  understand)  after  seeing  you  he  was  assured 
by  Mr.  Marshall  that  no  stress  whatever  need  be  laid  on  the  extremely 
trifling  quantity  of  morphia  now  being  taken,  as  to  its  tendency  in 
the  direction  you  apprehend.  But  I  am  very  glad  you  have  told  me 
of  such  being  the  result  to  opium-eaters  :  I  had  no  knowledge  of  the 
fact.     Mr.  Caine  also  quoted  your  notes  of  a  conversation  years  ago 


i882— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  113 

with  Mr.  Knight,  and  Mr.  Marshall's  consequent  remark  :  so  you  see 
store  is  set  by  what  you  contribute  under  the  present  anxiety.  Of 
course  all  our  talk  was  carried  on  not  in  Gabriel's  presence,  but  when 
by  ourselves  :  we  make  a  fairly  chatty  and  sociable  party  at  luncheon. 
On  the  whole  I  think  I  may  report  Gabriel  to  have  been  rather 
better  than  worse  since  Sunday,  on  the  evening  of  which  day  Mamma 
and  I  felt  especially  uneasy,  though  possibly  without  proportionate 
grounds.  I  will  not  forget  about  Mr.  Ingram,  but  unless  I  get  home 
cannot  see  my  way  to  setting  to  work, — at  the  worst,  may  a  worthier 
than  I  write.  .  .  . 

We  are  having  weather  so  mild  and  beautiful  that  I  can  scarcely 
define  it  as  beautiful  March  weather.  I  hope  Malvern  will  seem  to 
you  as  delightful  as  it  seems  to  my  memory  :  Wolverhampton  is 
unknown  to  me.  The  Incumbent  of  Malvern  Link — there  are  a  set 
of  Malverns,  all  contiguous — is  a  noted  Mr.  Cosby  White,  and  I  met 
his  wife  a  good  while  ago — but  I  do  not  expect  you  to  encounter 
either.  Maria  must  have  known  Mrs.  C.  W.  better  than  I ;  and  very 
likely  knew  the  husband  too,  whom  I  do  not. 

Gabriel  has  read  an  article  on  himself  in  the  World  with 
satisfaction. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  (William)  Sharp  was  a  very  cordial  friend  of  Dante  Rossetti 
in  his  closing  years.  He  published  a  book  about  him  soon  after 
Rossetti's  decease  ;  and  became  himself  a  well-known  author,  both  in 
his  own  name  and  in  that  of  Fiona  Macleod.  Mr.  John  Seddon,  the 
architect  who  built  the  bungalows  at  Birchington,  had  arranged  for 
placing  at  my  brother's  disposal  the  one  from  which  Christina  wrote 
—  now  named  Rossetti  Bungalow.] 

WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,  KENT. 

24  March  1882. 

My  dear  William, 

I  dare  say  you  are  at  home  again,  and  if  so  am  sure  you  will 
like  to  receive  news.  Sad  to  say,  there  is  no  very  definite  news  to 
give.  But  poor  Gabriel  is  going  back  apparently  rather  than  going 
forward,  and  is  so  comfortless  and  sinking  and  so  wasted  away  that 
at  last  this  morning  I  urged  him  to  see  a  local  Dr.,  who  of  course  can 


114  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

make  a  thorough  bodily  examination.  He  agreed,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon  we  hope  Dr.  Harris — of  whom  the  Clergyman  here, 
Mr.  Alcock,  spoke  favourably — will  call  and  investigate  his  case. 
Gabriel  had  a  restless  night  last  night,  and  suffered  from  vomitings : 
to-day  he  is  restless  and  depressed.  It  is  a  truly  pitiable  state  even 
if  he  were  not  our  brother.  I  will  not  close  this  letter  yet, — before 
post-time  I  may  perhaps  have  something  to  add.  .  .  . 

No  one  is  here  now  beyond  ourselves  and  Mr.  Caine,  nor  do  I 
know  of  any  one  being  definitely  expected.  Mr.  Sharp  was  here  for 
a  couple  of  nights,  and  Mr.  Leyland  drove  over  for  an  hour  or  two 
last  Sunday  from  Ramsgate  ;  he  was  longer  in  Birchington,  but  at 
a  Hotel  part  of  the  time.  On  Saturday  too  Mr.  John  Seddon  and  his 
brother  Major  Seddon  called  and  saw  Gabriel.  .  .  . 

About  5  p.m.  Dr.  Harris  has  just  been,  intelligent  in  look  and 
manner.  Considers  the  case  very  serious,  but  not  irremediable.  On 
the  nerves,  but  requiring  absolute  cessation  of  Chloral  &  Co.  (as  I 
understand, — of  the  whole  class) — also,  if  possible  to  achieve,  self 
help  in  the  way  of  exertion  and  occupation  ;  and  I  think  he  suggested 
amusement.  This  last  of  course  is  no  easy  item.  He  will  com- 
municate with  Mr.  Marshall,  and  of  course  we  expect  to  see  him 
again.  Meanwhile  it  is  of  imperative  necessity  that  the  digestive 
functions  should  be  adequately  attended  to.  I  am  not  sure  whether 
morphia  has  been  included  among  the  forbidden  resources. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[While  I  was  out  of  London,  at  Malvern,  and  my  wife  in  Man- 
chester, some  odd  affair  happened  of  a  man  entering  my  house  with- 
out leave  :  it  turned  out  a  trifle. — At  Wolverhampton  I  had  had  a  very 
scanty  auditory  for  my  lecture.  The  day  was  a  singular  specimen 
of  British  weather :  quite  fine  and  almost  summer-like  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  then  in  early  afternoon  a  wild  drive  of  snow  and  penetrating 
cold  which  lasted  into  the  evening.] 

WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,  BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,  KENT. 

28  March  1S82. 
My  dear  William, 

Mamma  and  I  are  full  of  concern  at  what  you  tell  us  of  the 
alarming  attempt  to  enter  your  house.     No  wonder  you  feel  more 


i882— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  115 

than  ever  the  advisabiUty  of  remaining  on  the  spot  to  guard  all  dear 
and  tender  persons.  Yet,  seeing  what  we  do  see  here,  we  cannot  but 
rejoice  at  the  prospect  of  your  flying  visit.  Yesterday  I  waylaid  Dr. 
Harris  as  he  left  the  house  :  and,  while  he  maintains  that  the  im- 
pression of  failing  eyesight  and  general  powerlessness  is  false  in  fact, 
however  real  to  the  patient,  he  showed  the  gravest  apprehension  as 
to  mental  (he  always  uses  the  word  nerves)  despondency,  and  plainly 
said  that  an  eye  must  be  kept  on  G.  He  is  now  administering 
soothing  pills,  and  these  seem  efficacious.  There  is  irritability  at 
times,  habitual  depression,  yet  at  the  same  time  a  degree  of  interest 
in  hearing  a  novel  or  in  conversation ;  occasionally  a  gleam  of  cheer- 
fulness or  of  fun.  Mr.  Marshall  has  written  to  Dr.  Harris,  but  of 
course  I  did  not  see  the  letter :  your  meaning  to  see  Mr.  Marshall 
yourself  is  a  comfort.  I  have  told  Mr.  Caine  what  trains  you  propose, 
and  he  verified  them  readily  in  his  time-table.  ...  I  have  spoken 
to  Mrs.  Abrey,  and  there  are  2  vacant  bedrooms  at  present  in  the 
house ;  so  do  not  dream  of  a  hotel. 

Mamma's  love  to  you.  We  are  quite  hurt  for  you  at  the  40 
auditors,  though  the  snow  accounts  for  lukewarmness.  I  remember 
the  glorious  gHmpse  into  Wales  from  a  drive  round  the  Malvern  Hills, 
and,  as  I  took  that  drive  in  summer,  I  probably  saw  all  to  more 
advantage.  On  Sunday  morning  I  struggled  home  from  church  in 
what/^//  like  danger  to  my  life  from  a  storm  of  wind  which  began  to 
rage  after  I  got  there :  three  times  I  was  driven  to  take  refuge  in 
cottages,  and  at  last  was  most  happy  in  being  able  to  procure  a 
shut-up  fly.  .  .  . 

I  have  just  been  into  Gabriel's  room  for  a  few  minutes:  he  is  in 
bed  and  much  as  usual  after  a  not-noticeable  night.  I  am  writing 
not  very  long  after  breakfast.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  a  cemetery  is  not  now  quite  clear  to  me.  My 
brother  did  not  at  this  time  write  any  story,  apart  from  the  ballad  of 
The  Dutchman  s  Pipe.  He  did,  however,  pay  some  degree  of  atten- 
tion to  his  old  prose-tale  St.  Ag?ies  of  Intercession,  written  towards 
1850,  and,  had  the  conditions  been  propitious,  he  might  have 
completed  it.] 


ii6  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

30  y\Iarch  1882]. 

My  dear  William, 

The  "  cemetery  "  is  nothing  alarming,  but  (I  gather)  has  to 
do  with  a  story  Gabriel  has  in  hand.  He  rallied  perfectly  marvellously 
under  Mr.  Watts's  influence,  bursting  once  or  twice  into  a  scrap  of 
comic  song  !  !  and  Dr.  Harris  thought  he  observed  a  degree  of 
improvement  yesterday.  Mr.  Watts  left  us  this  morning.  Mamma's 
dear  love  to  you  and  yours. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

WESTCLIFF   BUNGALOW,  BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA,  KENT. 

5  April  1SS2. 

Mv  dear  William, 

At  last  it  seems  Dr.  Harris  has  formed  a  more  complete 
opinion  of  the  case, — but  it  is  a  very  serious  opinion.  The  brain 
is  affected  in  such  a  way  as  (from  what  he  says)  I  understand  to 
be  that  which  is  commonly  called  "softening."  But  more  than 
this,  disease  of  the  kidneys  exists ;  and,  though  he  gives  it  no  name, 
he  indicates  that  it  is  of  a  fatal  (though  by  no  means  necessarily 
of  a  rapidly  fatal)  kind.  I  do  not  know  that  so  much  as  a  suspicion 
of  this  latter  disease  was  entertained  even  so  lately  as  last  Sunday 
when  you  were  here :  but  Mrs.  Abrey  called  Dr.  Harris's  atten- 
tion to  something  which  now  leads  him  to  this  sad  conclusion.  He 
still  tells  us  that  we  must  not  accept  as  true  all  Gabriel's  views  of  his 
own  state,  though  he  warmly  admits  that  to  the  patient  himself  they 
are  perfectly  true  ;  and  he  perceives  how  unmanageable  our  patient 
is  as  to  following  medical  orders  :  but  on  all  this  he  may  be  said  to 
lay  no  stress  while  dwelling  upon  the  essential  gravity  of  the  case.  I 
fear  I  shall  have  greatly  shocked  you  by  these  details,  but  obviously 
I  must  not  keep  them  back  from  you.  Poor  Gabriel  this  morning 
was  talking  affectionately  of  how  affectionate  you  are  and  of  your 
good  looks,  and  asked  if  we  had  had  news  of  Lucy  and  Mr.  Brown. 
I  hear  something  of  a  plan  for  his  taking  a  drive  this  afternoon,  but 
it  is  already  past  three  o'clock  and  I  know  not  whether  it  will  be 
managed.  If  he  wished  to  return  home.  Dr.  Harris  says  he  might 
do  so,  nor  need  Chelsea  air  be  any  worse  for  him  than  this, — but  I  do 


i882— FROM    LADY   MOUNT-TEMPLE  117 

not  know  that  he  entertains  any  such  wish.  Last  night  I  sat  up  with 
him  till  about  one  o'clock,  talking  a  little  and  reading  a  good  deal. 
In  spite  of  all,  Dr.  Harris  remarks  on  the  acute  mind  of  poor  dear 
Gabriel  when  he  chooses  to  exert  it ;  and  I  am  glad  to  find  that  he 
does  know  something  of  who  he  is. 

So  I  write  from  a  saddened  house,  but  I  hope  I  write  to  a  cheerful 
one.     Mamma  outstrips  me  in  love  to  you  and  yours. 


From  Madox  Brown. 

CALAIS   COTTAGE,   CRUMPSALL,    MANCHESTER. 

30  April  1882. 

My  DEAR  Christina, 

I  can  scarce  thank  you  sufficiently  for  thinking  of  us,  and 
writing  to  me  at  a  moment  when  your  thoughts  must  have  been  so 
fully  taken  up,  and  lassitude  might  well  be  supposed  to  follow  on 
the  terrible  strain  put  on  you  during  these  last  weeks.  I  was  almost 
about  to  say  discouragement  in  the  stead  of  lassitude,  but  the  word 
should  have  no  place  in  connection  with  such  an  ending  of  such  a 
career.  The  pain  of  parting  is  none  the  less,  I  know,  but  it  seems  a 
duty  not  to  repine  at  a  death  so  like  that  of  a  soldier  dying  for  his 
country;  for  there  is  no  doubt  poor  dear  Gabriel's  life  has  been 
consumed  the  more  rapidly  owing  to  the  continual  outpouring  of 
that  poetry  in  song  and  picture  which  he  seems  to  have  been  sent 
into  the  world  to  produce. 

Hoping  to  see  more  of  you  and  your  dear  Mother  when  our  long 
exile  here  is  over  and  we  may  be  once  again  settled  in  London, 
&c.  .  .  . 


Fro7n  Lady  Mount-Temple. 

[The  Blessed  Damozel  here  mentioned  was  not  either  of  the  two 
oil-paintings,  but  a  study  of  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  Damozel, 
on  a  gold  ground.  The  Beatrice  is  the  Beata  Beatrix^  which 
Lady  Mount-Temple  ultimately  presented  to  the  National  British 
Gallery.] 


ii8  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

15   GREAT  STANHOPE   STREET,    W. 

13  May  1882. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

For  the  love  we  bore  your  brother,  you  will  not,  I  trust, 
think  it  intrusive  of  me  to  write  to  you.  We  have  been  thinking  so 
much  of  you — and  of  your  Mother,  and  of  your  deep  sorrow — and 
of  the  blank  that  the  loss  of  his  loving  glowing  presence  must  make 
in  your  existence.  We,  who  were  only  on  the  edge  of  his  life,  feel  so 
much  gone  from  us  with  him.  Cheyne  House  was  to  me  a  gate  of 
heaven,  and  his  rich  cordial  greeting  made  it  glow  with  heart  as  well 
as  genius. 

How  much  we  owe  him  ! — His  Beatrice  and  Blessed  Damozel 
daily  enrich  our  lives,  and  his  being  must  always  possess  us ;  and  we 
may  live  more  than  ever  in  his  radiance  now  that  he  has  passed 
through  all  earthly  clouds. 

If  Mrs.  Rossetti  and  you  ever  feel  able  to  let  me  come  and  see 
you,  it  would  be  a  great  boon  to  me  :  but  I  know  how  much  you 
love  and  need  seclusion — so  do  not  trouble  yourselves  about  me. 
I  shall  always  love  you — at  a  distance — for  his  sake,  and  for  all  that 
you  are  to  us  yourself  in  the  books  we  prize  so  much. 

In  deep  sympathy  &c.  .  .  . 

To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

30   TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   LONDON',    W.C, 

i7>/y[iSS2]. 
My  dear  Lucy, 

It  would  be  treating  you  as  a  stranger  and  not  as  one  of 
ourselves  to  explain  Mamma's  answering  your  welcome  letter  by 
proxy.     She  thanks  you  for  her  pleasure  in  receiving  it  .  .  . 

You  were  talking  about  books  the  other  day, — have  you  read 
Wilkie  CoUins's  Moonstone  ?  It  was  the  last  I  read  to  poor  dear 
Gabriel,  and  it  interested  us. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Southend. 

[I  had  gone  to  Southend  to  rally  from  an  attack  of  gout. — The 
poem  addressed  by  Mr.  Swinburne  to  my  twin  children  can  only  at 


i882— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  iig 

this  time  (I  think)  have  been  in  MS.  :  it  was  published  later  on. 
His  volume  issued  in  1882  was  the  noble  poem  Tristram,  of  Lyonesse. 
It  contains  a  prose  dedication  to  Mr.  Watts-Dunton,  and  a  verse- 
dedication  to  the  same  friend,  beginning  "Spring  speaks  again 
and  all  our  woods  are  stirred."  The  letter  which  accompanied  Mr. 
Swinburne's  gift  to  Christina  is  not  now  forthcoming. — My  "  review  of 
Longfellow"  was  in  The  Athenceum  :  it  was  not,  I  think,  depreciatory, 
but  it  indicated  an  estimate  of  his  poetry  which  would  not  have 
satisfied  his  more  thorough-going  admirers. — Mr.  William  Tirebuck 
appears  to  have  been  the  very  first  person  in  the  field  with  a  volume, 
a  small  one,  relating  to  Dante  Rossetti. — The  reference  to  "  not 
murdering  Egyptians  "  arises  frorn  my  having  said,  in  a  letter  to  my 
mother,  that  my  income-tax  had  been  or  would  be  increased  "for 
the  valued  privilege  of  murdering  Egyptians." — Mr.  Craik  was  a 
partner  in  the  Macmillan  firm,  the  publishers  of  Mr.  Sharp's  book 
on  Dante  Rossetti.] 


30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

2b  July  1S82. 

My  dear  William, 

Before  I  say  how  delighted  Mamma  was  with  your  letter 
yesterday,  I  will  beg  you  to  convey  her  thanks  to  Lucy  for  her 
previous  one  which  was  the  first  to  tell  us  the  good  news  of  your 
being  better.  .  .  .  You  may  think  how  (if  possible)  our  Mother  is 
now  more  than  ever  anxious  that  no  imprudence  should  detract  from 
the  well-being  of  her  "  Willie  wee," — now  that  her  4  have  dwindled 
to  2.  Everything  you  narrate  or  can  narrate  of  your  funny  little  five 
cheers  and  interests  her  warm  grandmotherly  heart.  I  wish  little 
Mary  may  inherit  inward  virtues  even  more  than  outward  beauty 
from  our  fine-natured  and  fine-personed  Grandmother ;  of  whom,  by 
the  by,  /  sometimes  reminded  Mamma  in  my  early  days.  .  .  . 

Do  you  remember  how  our  Maria  was  impressed  by  the  im- 
partiality of  your  Lives  of  Poets  ?  Now  I  am  so  too,  as  well  as  by 
the  admirable  lucidity  of  your  style.  The  facts  would  be  interesting 
under  any  treatment,  but  you  help  instead  of  hindering  readers. 
Those  were  interesting  notes  about  Trelawny  you  lately  contributed 
to  the  Athenceum,  and  naturally  /  clap  hands  at  your  review  of 
Longfellow ! 

Please  give  Lucy  our  2  loves,  and  (if  you  can  get  through  them)  our 


I20  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

ten  kisses  to  Olive,  Arthur,  Helen,  Mary,  Michael.  What  a  prostrate 
poem  does  Mr.  Swinburne  address  to  the  twins  !  He  has  kindly 
presented  me  with  his  volume,  a  valued  gift ;  and  I  cannot  forbear 
lending  you — more  especially  lending  Lucy— the  letter  which  accom- 
panied the  book.  How  much  I  like  the  Dedications  both  prose 
and  verse.  This  is  the  fourth  book  he  has  sent  me,  and  I  not  one 
hitherto  to  him, — so  for  lack  of  aught  else  I  am  actually  offering  him 
a  Called  to  be  Sai?iis,  merely  however  drawing  his  attention  to  the 
verses. 

Mr.  Sharp  has  paid  us  two  visits,  one  this  afternoon,  all  about  his 
book.  Through  Aunt  Charlotte  he  has  had  access  to  the  "Girlhood" 
picture,  and  soon  he  hopes  to  see  what  Miss  Heaton  has  at  Leeds. 
I  called  his  attention  to  the  window  and  pulpit  at  Scarborough,  of 
which  apparently  he  had  never  even  heard.  He  tells  us  that  Mr. 
Tirebuck  is  sub-editor  of  a  Yorkshire  paper,  I  forget  the  name  :  some 
of  the  Memoir  of  Gabriel  I  really  admire,  so  I  have  far  from  ended 
in  mere  laughter  at  the  style.  O  dear !  how  willingly  would  I  ificur 
Income  Tax  for  the  sake  of  not  murdering  Egyptians  or  any  one 
else :  and  our  Mother  would,  I  am  sure,  double  or  triple  hers  with 
the  same  object.  .  .  . 

I  was  forgetting  to  tell  you  that  Mamma  has  lent  Mr.  Sharp  her 
cherished  Main's  Sontiet  book,  giving  him  leave  to  have  the  Sonnet 
drawing  engraved  for  his  book.  Mr.  Craik  considered  that  the 
original  could  far  more  advantageously  be  worked  from  than  could 
Mr.  Sharp's  photograph  of  the  same. 


To  William  Rossettl 

[The  Sonnet  by  Mr.  Swinburne  on  Rossettl,  named  A  Death  on 
Easter-day,  and  published  afterwards  in  his  Century  of  Roundels,  was 
as  follows  : — ■ 

"The  strong  spring  sun  rejoicingly  may  rise, 

Rise  and  make  revel,  as  of  old  men  said, 

Like  dancing  hearts  of  lovers  newly  wed  : 
A  light  more  bright  than  ever  bathed  the  skies 
Departs  for  all  time  out  of  all  men's  eyes. 

The  crowns  that  girt  last  night  a  living  head 

Shine  only  now,  though  deathless,  on  the  dead  : 
Art  that  mocks  death,  and  song  that  never  dies. 


i882— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  121 

Albeit  the  bright  sweet  mothUke  wings  be  furled, 
Hope  sees,  past  all  division  and  defection, 

And  higher  than  swims  the  mist  of  human  breath, 
The  soul  most  radiant  once  in  all  the  world 
Requickened  to  regenerate  resurrection 

Out  of  the  likeness  of  the  shadow  of  death."] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

2&Jiily  1SS2. 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Mr.  Swinburne  has  acknowledged  with  consummate 
graciousness  Called  to  be  Saints,  and  gives  me  great  pleasure  by  liking 
the  verses  for  St.  Barnabas,  Holy  Innocents,  SS.  Philip  and  James. 
I  do  not  think  he  is  at  all  offended  by  my  offering  him  the  book. 
And  thus  he  answers  something  I  said  about  his  sonnet  for  our  dear 
Gabriel :  "  But  I  must  tell  you  how  very  truly  glad  I  am  that  you 
should  care  for  my  Memorial  Sonnet.  I  wish  it  were  worthier  of  the 
subject ;  but  it  has  at  least  the  one  merit  of  heartfelt  (and  I  venture 
to  hope  evident)  sincerity." 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Manchester. 

[I  was  now  preparing  for  the  publication  of  a  book  (which  did  not 
get  actually  published  until  1895)  of  Dante  Rossetti's  Family-letters  ; 
and  Christina  had  undertaken  to  copy  out  such  letters  as  had  been 
addressed  to  our  mother. — Mr,  Dodgson  was  the  "  Lewis  Carroll "  of 
Alice  ill  Wo7iderland.     He  was  an  expert  photographer.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

[Aiitumti  1S82.J 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

We  cannot  hear  from  William  of  your  Father's  being  ill, 
without  my  writing  to  express  my  Mother's  and  my  own  affectionate 
sympathy  ...  I  am  working  away  at  copying  Mamma's  contingent 
of  Gabriel's  letters — such  good  old  letters  some  of  them,  so  loving — 
and  some  so  funny.  It  is  a  sad  task,  though  one  I  like  to  perform. 
Mr.  Dodgson  has  not  sent  me  those  photographs  from  Gabriel's 
drawings  I  was  hoping  to  receive :  but  perhaps  they  may  appear  yet. 


122  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

He  recollected  to  send  me  up  a  promised  ghost-story,  and  I  hope 
does  not  doubt  which  prospect  I  care  most  for. 

We  have  been  reading  Mr.  Caine's  memoir.  Considering  the 
circumstances  under  which  his  experiences  occurred,  I  think  it  may 
fairly  be  pronounced  neither  unkind  nor  unfriendly ;  but  I  hope  some 
day  to  see  the  same  and  a  wider  field  traversed  by  some  friend  of 
older  standing  and  consequently  of  far  warmer  affection  towards  his 
hero ;  who,  whatever  he  was  or  was  not,  was  lovable. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

[7  December  1882.] 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Our  loves  to  Lucy  and  to  the  youngsters.  We  hope 
little  Mary  holds  her  own,  and  smaller  Michael  has  regained  lost 
ground.  But  this  cold  may  try  twins,  odd  babies,  and  every  grade  of 
elder. 

I  have  had  a  narrow  escape  of  seeing  my  birthday  memorialized 
in  the  Athenceufn  by  a  sonnet  from  Mr.  Sharp.  He  tells  me  he  can 
explain  the  reason  of  its  non-appearance ;  but  in  my  secret  soul  I 
suspect  that  reason  of  being  the  cogent  one  that  it  is  not  a  good 
sonnet.  Great  however  is  its  good-will,  and  I  feel  friendly  in 
proportion. 

I  heard  from  Mr.  Cayley  (this  morning)  that  he  has  returned 
with  a  "  sore  foot "  from  Cambridge  :  gout,  I  fear ;  but  he  does  not 
call  it  so.  However,  he  seems  hopeful  of  soon  getting  out  again. 
I  hope  he  will  not  emerge  rashly  and  prematurely.  .  .  . 


From  Lady  Mount-Temple. 

[The  reference  here  to  Burlington  House  has  to  do  with  the  exhibi- 
tion in  that  building,  the  galleries  of  the  Royal  Academy,  of  a  large 
collection  of  works  by  Dante  Rossetti. — Christina  felt  very  much 
drawn  to  Lady  Mount-Temple,  whom,  however,  she  only  saw  once 
or  twice.  Circumstances  did  not  make  it  manageable  for  either  herself 
or  our  mother  to  respond  to  the  invitation  to  go  to  Broadlands.] 


i883— TO   CAYLEY  123 

Babbacombecliff,  Torquay. 

21  /a>tiiary  [iSS^l 

My  dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

I  often  think  of  you  and  your  grave  beautiful  mother,  as 
I  saw  you  that  evening. 

I  have  gone  through  much  since,  of  anguish  and  joy — for  my 
husband  has  been  very  ill — and  is  (d.g.)  restored.  I  hope  you  both 
are  not  suffering  much  from  this  very  wet  season.  The  only  light 
in  London  seems,  from  all  I  hear,  to  ray  out  in  Burlington  House. 

I  hope  you  are  satisfied  and  cheered  by  the  enthusiasm  kindled 
by  his  unique  genius.  Of  course  I  have  not  been  there  yet. 
Next  month  I  hope  to  be  among  those  glories. 

Mrs.  Sumner  is  just  come  to  Torquay.  She  looked  in  on  us 
this  morning,  and  she  was  radiant  from  them — having  been  there 
yesterday ;  and  yet  sad  too,  for  she  felt  them  all  too  sacred  for 
ordinary  eyes,  and  shrank  for  his  sake  from  the  publicity,  till  she 
remembered  that  he  would  not  mind  it  now. 

Another  friend,  fresh  from  Italy,  told  us  the  other  day  not  even 
the  masterpieces  of  the  old  world  had  affected  her  so  solemnly  and 
tenderly,  and  we  rejoiced  together  in  the  thought  of  the  triune 
angels, — the  mighty  Michael,  the  beautiful  Raphael,  and  our 
Messenger  of  promise.  While  I  write  about  the  impressions  made 
on  my  friends,  I  look  at  a  letter  written  to  me  by  Mrs.  Russell 
Gurney,  and  I  cannot  resist  sending  it  to  you.  It  pleased  me  so 
much.     Do  not  take  the  trouble  of  returning  it. 

We  stay  here,  all  being  well,  for  another  fortnight,  and  then, 
after  a  few  days  in  town,  return  to  Broadlands.  We  shall  be 
there  I  hope  till  Easter,  and,  if  you  and  your  mother  could  come 
and  spend  a  few  quiet  Lent  days  with  us,  how  glad  we  should  be. 

Wishing  you  both  (rather  late  in  the  day)  the  blessing  of  peace 
and  heavenly  comfort  this  year  and  ever,  &c.  .  .  . 

To  Charles  Cayley. 

[I  have  not  any  clear  knowledge  as  to  the  year  when  this  letter  was 
written,  but  surmise  1883  as  not  unlikely.  It  is  apparent  that  Cayley 
had  been  writing  to  Christina,  expressing  the  opinion  that  he  probably 


124  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

might  not  live  long  (in  fact  he  died  in  December  1S83),  and  offering 
to  make  Christina  his  Hterary  executrix :  this  proposal  he  carried  out. 
Her  statement  that,  at  an  earlier  date  in  their  intercourse,  she 
"  deserved  severity  at  her  own  hands,"  appears  to  me  to  imply  that 
her  demeanor  to  Cayley  had  tended  to  encourage  him  to  make  her 
a  proposal  of  marriage  which,  when  made,  she  saw  fit  to  decline. 
Her  rather  overstrained  feeling  of  obligation  to  me,  resulting  in 
a  bequest  of  ;j^20oo,  was  in  the  fullest  sense  her  own  affair,  not 
mine.  Ultimately  she  left  me  her  universal  legatee,  but  did  not  fail 
to  insert  in  her  will  the  separate  bequest  here  named.  Her  ob- 
servation that  Cayley  could  probably  trace  a  "  train  of  thought " 
guiding  her  statements  means,  I  take  it,  that,  if  she  should  have 
anything  further  to  bequeath,  beyond  the  ^2000,  a  substantial 
proportion,  if  not  the  whole,  would  go  to  Cayley  himself. — "  My 
Dante  article  "  must  have  been  either  a  paper  called  Dante  an  English 
Classic,  relating  chiefly  to  Cayley's  translation  of  the  Commedia, 
or  else  (less  probably)  one  entitled  Dante  illustrated  out  of  his  own 
Poem  :  both  of  these  were  published  in  some  magazine  or  other. — 
This  letter  must  have  been  found  by  me  among  Christina's  papers 
after  her  death.  It  came  back  into  her  own  hands  as  shown  in 
the  letter  of  7  December  1883  from  Miss  Sophie  Cayley.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

26  Febniary  [?  1S83]. 
Mv   DEAR   OLD    FrIEND, 

I  will  not  dwell  too  much  on  the  sad  possibility  you  hint 
to  me,  but  rather  will  put  forward — as  I  sincerely  can — the  appar- 
ently at  least  equal  probability  that  I  may  become  the  leader  and 
not  the  follower  along  that  path.  Nor  will  I  care  what  are  the  steps 
so  long  as  the  goal  is  good.  Nor  will  I  despair  of  the  good  goal  for 
either  of  us.  Meanwhile  I  hope  you  have  shaken  off  the  neuralgia, 
of  which  I  also  well  know  the  pain,  and  that  many  happy  hours  with 
the  Leifchilds  and  other  valued  intimates  remain  in  store  for  you. 

But,  all  else  assumed  as  inevitable,  I  should  value  though  I  should 
not  need  a  memorial.  And  three  of  the  translations  would  be  very 
dear :  watching  over  them,  I  might  in  a  measure  nurse  your  name 
and  fame.  Yet,  if  you  think  any  of  your  family  could  feel  hurt,  do 
not  do  it :  very  likely  there  was  a  moment  when — and  no  wonder — 
those  who  loved  j'ou  best  thought  very  severely  of  me,  and  indeed 


i883— FROM   SWINBURNE  125 

I  deserved  severity  at  my  own  hands, — I  never  seemed  to  get  much 
at  yours.  And  some  trifle  that  you  had  been  fond  of  and  perhaps 
had  used  would  be  precious  to  me. 

Now  let  us  suppose  the  reverse  position,  and  let  me  explain  my 
own  plans.  If  my  dearest  Mother  outlives  me,  everything  I  have  (a 
mere  trifle  in  all)  goes  to  her  :  perhaps  you  may  recollect  my  telling 
you  that  even  now  I  am  not  so  much  as  independent,  so  little  indeed 
have  I.  Beyond  this  immediate  vista, — William  made  me  a  home 
for  so  many  years  that  (especially  now  that  he  has  a  young  family)  I 
am  inclined  to  rate  the  money-portion  of  my  debt  to  him  at  (say) 
;^ioo  a  year  for  20  years  :  here  at  once  is  ;^2ooo !  and  far  enough 
am  I  from  possessing  such  a  sum.  Not  that  William  puts  forward 
any  such  view,  but  /  entertain  it  all  by  myself.  So,  to  sum  up,  you 
see  I  am  an  indefinite  distance  off  from  having  much  at  my  pure 
disposal.  If  I  live  long  enough,  that  is  if  I  survive  certain  members 
of  my  family,  I  believe  I  shall  be  amply  provided  for  :  but  this  is  no 
contingency  to  count  upon.  I  dare  say  you  will  trace,  though  I 
certainly  have  not  stated,  what  sort  of  train  of  thought  set  me  upon 
saying  all  this. 

I  hope  you  will  enjoy  the  Ashburnham  MSS.  If  I  had  a  little 
more  energy  I  might  seek  to  enjoy  them  too,  but  that  seems  too 
enterprising  a  possibility.  My  Dante  article  proceeds  at  the  pace  of 
a  lag-last  snail ;  perhaps  it  will  reach  the  printing-office  some  day.  A 
thousand  thanks  for  the  permission  I  craved. 

From  Algernon  Swinburne. 

[This  letter  accompanied  two  copies  of  Swinburne's  volume,  A 
Century  of  Roundels.  The  dedication,  itself  a  roundel,  is  to 
Christina.] 

THE    PINES,    PUTNEY   HILL,    S.W. 

"J  June  18S3. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

Here  is  the  little  book  to  which  you  have  been  so  kind. 
As  in  duty  bound,  I  send  you  the  first  copy  I  receive  of  it — or  rather 
the  two  first  copies,  as  two  have  been  sent  together,  and  I  hope  your 
mother  will  do  me  the  favour  to  accept  one  of  them  for  the  sake  of 
the  dedication, 


126  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS' 

If  the  references  to  Dante  and  Farinata  a  propos  of  caverns  in 
Guernsey  seem  strange  or  far-fetched  to  you,  I  wish  you — as  a 
poetess,  and  his  country-woman — would  go  and  see  that  wonderful 
sight  for  yourself,  which  I  have  so  faintly  tried  to  indicate.  It  is 
amazing  to  me  that  so  few  English  folk  will  trouble  themselves  to 
make  so  short  a  run  to  see  within  their  own  territory  landscapes  and 
prospects  to  which  I  really  know  no  parallel — not  even  in  the  High- 
lands, the  Apennines,  or  the  Pyrenees — for  splendour  and  variety  of 
sublimity  and  beauty.  Nowhere  else,  that  I  ever  saw  or  heard  of,  is 
there  such  a  sea  for  background  to  such  shores — or  such  land  for 
background  to  such  seas — as  in  Sark  and  Guernsey.  ^V^atts  said  of 
the  latter,  when  we  were  roaming  over  it  last  year — "  I  did  not  think 
there  was  such  an  island  as  this  in  the  world  !  "  It  has  literally  every 
kind  of  loveliness  and  grandeur  packed  into  it — you  step  as  it  were 
out  of  the  Hebrides  into  Tuscany  in  a  few  miles'  walk — or  you  pass 
from  the  valleys  of  the  Spey  or  the  ravine  of  the  Findhorn  straight 
into  Valdarno  or  Valdelsa.  And,  if  you  don't  believe  me  on  trust, 
all  I  can  say  is,  do  go  and  see,  and  give  these  almost  unknown 
beauties  a  word  of  song — as  I  have  tried  to  do. 


To   WlLLTAlNI    ROSSETTI,    HytJlC. 

[This  letter  relates  to  the  project  that  Christina  should  write,  for  the 
Eminent  Women  series,  a  memoir  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe,  the  authoress  of 
The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho,  &c.  She  was  more  than  willing  to  do  it ; 
but,  after  Mr.  John  Cordy  Jeaffreson  and  other  sources  of  information 
had  been  consulted,  she  judged  that  the  facts  known  would  not  fill  out 
a  volume,  and  she  abandoned  the  attempt. — Her  allusion  to  her 
"girth"  indicates  that  she  was  at  this  time  not  a  little  fat.  So  she 
was  often,  but  not  always,  in  her  closing  years.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

2()June  1883. 
My  dear  William, 

Thankyou  both  for  the  letter  I  return  and  for  the  other  you 
forwarded.  Mr.  Jeaffreson  is  not  encouraging :  I  am  belabouring 
poor  Ingram,  and  between  us  all  nothing  whatsoever  have  I  done.  I 
Radcliffized  the  other  day  at  the  Museum,  and  perceive  that  the  best 


i883— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  127 

resource  is  Talfourd  after  all,  unless  it  be  a  qtwtation  made  by  Walter 
Scott.     I  doubt  if  the  Memoir  is  feasible.  .  .  . 

To-day  is  perfect  summer  here,  and  I  hope  is  so  at  Hythe  also. 
May  you  all  thrive,  and  especially  may  Lucy  hit  the  happy  mean 
between  her  actual  girth  and  7ni/ie  I !  !  But  I  recommend  her  to 
stay  as  she  is,  rather  than  the  full  alternative. 

I  met  Mr.  Caine  the  other  day  at  the  Museum,  looking  all  the 
better  for  country-quarters.     He  seems  busy,  so  I  hope  he  gets  on. 

You  may  think  I  have  not  much  news  for  you  when  this  is  a 
sample. 


To  William  Rossettl 

CHURCH   HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

id  July  18S3. 

My  dear  Willl\m, 

I  have  got  so  foggy  as  to  your  movements  that  I  send  this 
to  Endsleigh  Gns.  Mamma,  with  all  love  to  you,  was  very  glad  to 
get  a  letter  from  you ;  and  now  she  is  wishing  to  bring  matters  to 
some  practical  issue  as  concerns  the  dear  grave.  If  the  stone  and 
also  2  windows  are  contemplated,  her  preference  would  be  to  under- 
take the  ivhole  of  one  window,  selecting  that  one  which  looks  most 
directly  upon  the  grave,  and  giving  the  commission  from  herself  to 
Mr.  Shields.  She  would  like  to  settle  this  matter  while  we  are  here, 
and  so  are  at  hand  to  consult  with  Mr.  Alcock.  Will  you,  please, 
as  soon  as  you  conveniently  can,  let  her  know  that  her  acting  as  she 
proposes  will  not  clash  with  any  scheme  of  yours,  and  then  without 
further  delay  we  can  open  business  with  Mr.  Shields.  The  more 
details  you  can  give  us  the  better  as  to  design  of  gravestone  &c. 

Going  to  call  on  Mrs.  Seddon  this  afternoon,  I  passed  by  the  old 
familiar  Bungalow  and  stood  gazing  into  its  garden.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  have  called  on  us ;  and  Mrs.  Seddon  reports  that  Dr.  Harris 
much  likes  our  Mother ;  and  she  seems  also  aware  of  her  being 
liked  more  at  large,  in  which  impression  I  confirmed  her.  I,  like 
you,  wish  tJiese  doorsteps  could  be  got  rid  of, — but,  all  deductions 
made  from  an  ideal  standard,  we  yet  find  ourselves  comfortably 
housed.     Mr.   Alcock   has   called   on   us  with   his   agreeable  wife. 


128  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

but  not  as  yet  Mr.  Martin,  whom  I  should  like  to  shake  hands  with 
again. 

I  send  you  an  article  on  Gabriel  sent  me  from  America.  Also  a 
photo,  of  Rossetti  Bungalow  which  pray  accept  if  you  have  not  one 
already.  The  Church  too  has  been  photographed  from  a  viewpoint 
which  would  show  the  grave  but  for  the  outer  wall  of  the  church- 
yard ;  this  stands  too  high  to  admit  of  the  little  mound  being  seen, 
though  the  porch  is  visible.  .  .  . 

From  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  shows  what,  in  the  summer  of  1883,  was  proposed  with 
regard  to  some  memorial  to  Dante  Rossetti  at  Birchington.  The 
upshot  was  that  INIadox  Brown  designed  the  tombstone,  an  Irish 
cross,  for  which  Christina  and  I  jointly  paid ;  and  that  Mr.  Shields 
designed  the  two  stained-glass  lights  of  one  window,  for  which  our 
mother  paid.     Nothing  was  done  beyond  this.] 

2   SALTWOOD   GARDENS,    HYTHE. 

iZJidy  1883. 
Dear  Christina, 

When  I  was  at  Birchington  I  talked  a  goodish  deal  to  Seddon 
about  the  gravestone  and  windows.  The  idea  then  was  that  I  would 
undertake  the  whole  affair  of  the  gravestone ;  and  that  Seddon,  along 
with  Shields  and  other  admirers  of  Gabriel,  would  raise  funds  for 
filling  with  stained  glass  the  2  windows  of  2  lights  each  (whole  or 
part  thereof)  which  come  near  the  grave.  Shields  would  undertake 
to  make  the  design  for  one  light;  Brown  and  Jones  would  be  invited 
to  undertake  two  others ;  for  the  4th  I  heard  nothing  particular 
suggested.  You  were  to  be  consulted  as  to  the  subjects  for  all  4 
lights.  Seddon,  as  I  gathered,  would  provide  for  the  actual  supply 
of  glass  &c. 

As  to  the  gravestone  my  idea  had  from  the  first  been  to  ask  Brown 
to  furnish  a  design  generally  resembling  (but  not  identical  with) 
the  stone  over  Nolly's  grave.  Some  uncertainties  (not  worth  detail- 
ing) have  arisen  about  this.  I  shall  now  however  get  the  point 
settled.  If  B.  should  not  fall  in  with  my  views,  I  shall  ask  Seddon 
to  see  about  making  and  carrying  out  a  design — which  would 
probably  be  of  a  simple  but  solid  and  very  decorous  kind.     The  B. 


1883— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  129 

project  might  I  fancy  cost  from  ^30  to  ^45  :  the  S.  project  from 
^70  to  ^100. 

You  will  perceive  that  the  outline  of  this  scheme  is  that  the  grave- 
stone should  be  entirely  the  affair  of  myself  (or  of  myself  and  family, 
as  might  be  arranged  inter  nos);  while  the  windows  would  be  entirely 
the  affair  of  admirers  of  G's  genius  (personal  friends  of  course 
included)  who  would  subscribe  the  needed  funds. 

Mamma's  idea  of  commissioning  one  window  (or  perhaps  one  light 
in  a  window  is  rather  meant)  would  mar  the  symmetry  of  this  scheme : 
but  I  don't  see  that  that  is  of  the  slightest  consequence  if  Mamma 
prefers  this  course  to  any  other.  It  seems  however  that  she  should 
explain  to  Seddon  what  she  intends,  especially  as  it  affects  Shields, 
with  whom  Seddon  himself  would  otherwise  be  concerting  his 
plans.  .  .  . 

Ellis  has  sent  me  ^97.  4.  as  the  royalty  on  G's  books  (chiefly  the 
Poems  vol.)  for  last  6  mos. — Very  large  this  amount,  I  think. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Hythe. 

CHURCH    HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SE/\. 

l^Ju!y  1883. 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

.  .  .  Amongst  your  all-welcome  letters  this  is  a  very  wel- 
come one.  Please  read  first  and  post  afterwards  the  enclosed  to  Mr. 
Shields,  which  we  hope  will  meet  with  your  sympathetic  approval. 
If  our  Mother  is  so  fortunate  as  thus  to  secure  her  wish,  /  hope  to 
concur  (in  a  modest  degree  suited  to  my  resources)  in  the  stone. 
One  window  will  remain  for  remoter  friends  and  admirers,  and  I  hope 
the  result  of  triple  effort  will  be  beautiful. 

We  have  been  making  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  John  Seddon  and 
like  her  very  much  ...  I  have  made  an  ivy-wreath,  and  we  are 
carrying  it  to  the  grave  this  morning  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,  Hythe. 

[The  term  "  your  Italian  "  means  the  romance  by  Mrs.  Radcliffe 
entitled  The  Italian,  of  which  I  possess  a  copy.] 
9 


I30  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTFS   LETTERS 

CHURCH   HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

2T,Jtily  1883. 

My  dear  William, 

Very  welcome  was  your  card  to  Mamma  whom  it  assured 
of  your  harmonious  accord  with  her  plan.  Her  love  to  you.  On 
Saturday  Mr.  Seddon  called  with  his  pretty  elder  daughter — the 
younger  is  beautiful  perhaps  rather  than  pretty — and  we  then  talked 
about  all  the  plans;  and  he  fell  in  with  Mamma's  views,  and  will  him- 
self treat  with  Mr.  Shields  on  that  basis.  He  told  us  what  his  own 
plan  for  the  stone  is,  and  this  greatly  attracts  Mamma  :  I  too  admire 
it,  and  shall  like  to  concur  in  a  small  way :  I  think  I  can  promise 
myself  to  find  ;^io  for  the  purpose,  but  fear  that  will  be  my  humble 
limit.  .  .  . 

A  meagre  contingent  of  "RadcHffe"  material  has  reached  me 
through  the  obliging  trouble-taking  of  a  Mr.  Sketchley  of  the  South 
Kensington  department — that  cannot  be  right:  "Science  and  Art" 
perhaps.  So  my  Athenceu??i  letter  has  produced  one  useful  response, 
besides  one  or  two  useless  ones  :  but,  all  told,  I  doubt  if  bulk  will 
anyhow  suffice.  At  present  Mr.  Ingram  and  I  alike  are  observing  a 
dignified  silence.  Of  course  your  Italiafi  is  safe  at  your  house 
where  I  left  it.  .  .  . 

Of  course,  whichever  design  is  adopted  by  you  for  the  gravestone, 
I  hope  equally  to  concur. — That  is,  as  you  say,  a  good  "royalty" 
from  Ellis. 

To  William  Rossetti,  London. 

[Mrs.  O'Shaughnessy  was  the  mother  of  the  poet  Arthur  O'Shaugh- 
nessy,  who  died  in  18S1.  Mr.  Deacon  was  related  to  him — I  think 
a  cousin. — The  Memoir  of  Emily  Bronte  was  the  work  of  Miss 
Robinson  (Madame  Duclaux)  in  the  Eminent   Women  series.] 

CHURCH   HILL,    BIRCHINGTOX-OX-SEA. 

Zojuly  1883. 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

.  .  .  Mamma  sends  you  invariable  love.  She  wishes  me  to 
express  to  you  her  great  desire  that  the  monument  to  Gabriel  may 
include  a  cross  :  we  do  not  know  what  the  erection  to  Nolly  is  like. 


i883— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  131 

Would  it  be  possible — and  would  it  not,  her  wish  taken  into  account, 
be  preferable — to  substitute  for  the  Nolly  design  a  reproduction  of 
Mr.  Brown's  beautiful  memorial  of  his  first  wife?  this  would  con- 
ciliate both  you  and  our  Mother,  equally  doing  honour  to  Mr.  Brown's 
tried  and  faithful  friendship  for  Gabriel  and  near  connexion  with  all 
of  us.  If  such  a  plan  were  hampered  by  being  more  costly  than  the 
other,  I  would  do  my  {i^ery)  little  best  by  contributing  ^15  instead 
of  ;^io, — I  think  I  can  engage  for  so  much.  .  .  . 

A  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deacon  made  themselves  known  to  me  one 
morning,  and  yesterday  a  maternal  Mrs.  Deacon  with  Mrs.  O'Shaugh- 
nessy  declared  themselves.  Mr.  Deacon  is  a  clergyman  at  Milton  {?), 
Oxfordsh.  .  .  . 

Saturday  was  so  cold  part  of  the  day  that  we  had  a  fire.  Yesterday 
(Sunday)  was  sunny  summer.  To-day  warmth  continues  in  modera- 
tion. Except  perhaps  mountain-air,  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  was  in 
what  seemed  to  me  air  more  salubrious  than  this.  But  we  have  a 
great  deal  of  cold  weather. 

I  suspect  my  Athenceum  manifesto  has  borne  its  last  meagre  fruit, 
for  no  Radcliffeana  more  come  to  hand.  If  this  be  all,  I  foresee  col- 
lapse. I  am  reading  with  interest  the  Memoir  of  Emily  Bronte  :  but 
does  it  strike  you  as  being  in  the  main  a  memoir  of  Emily  i 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  lectures  by  Ruskin,  here  referred  to,  contained  some  matter 
derogatory  to  Dante  Rossetti's  work  as  a  painter  :  see  Christina's 
further  letter  of  15  August.] 


CHURCH    HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

6  August  1SS3. 
My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Our  dearest  Mother  sends  you  her  evergreen  love.  On 
no  account  will  she  supersede  you  as  to  the  monument  design,  though 
you  have  her  maternal  thanks  for  acceding  to  her  wish  for  a  cross, — 
be  the  cross  Irish  or  any  other,  so  long  as  a  cross  it  is,  she  will  rest 
contented.  Mamma  and  I  quite  feel  for  you  as  to  the  disagreeable 
of  modifying  Mr.  Brown's  drawing  so  late  in  the  day.     Would  it  be 


132  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

out  of  the  question  to  introduce  a  cross  simply  in  has  relief  on  the 
headstone  as  it  stands  ?  in  addition  to  the  foliage  you  speak  of,  I 
mean,  or  perhaps  in  substitution  for  some  detail  of  it.  But  pray 
believe  that  in  venturing  such  an  ignorant  suggestion  I  am  only  trying 
to  make  matters  easy,  pleasant,  manageable ;  I  am  not  attempting  to 
meddle  where  you  have  and  I  have  not  rights.  "\\'hatever  monument 
is  erected,  I  hope  you  will  not  reject  ;;^io  or  ^£"15  as  my  contribution 
towards  honouring  our  dear  brother's  memory. 

The  Shieldses  came  down  last  week,  and  Mr.  S.  we  see  daily  :  he 
and  wife  appear  better  already,  but  it  was  gravely  desirable  for  both 
that  they  should  get  better.  To-day  he  was  in  church  with  Mr. 
Seddon,  going  into  our  business  practically.  He  seems  very  wishful 
to  select  a  felicitous  subject  for  the  window,  but  not  yet  to  have 
lighted  upon  one — or  rather  upon  two,  one  for  each  light — quite  to 
his  own  satisfaction  :  so  as  yet  I  cannot  announce  all  that  impends. 
I  put  fresh  roses  on  the  grave  this  morning.  .  .  . 

Have  you  seen  the  2  Art  Lectures  lately  given  by  Ruskin  at 
Oxford  ?  Mrs.  Seddon  has  lent  them  us.  Mamma  is  reading  them, 
and  I  mean  to  do  so,  but  already  I  know  enough  of  their  contents  to 
feel  not  a  little  wonder  and  dislike.  .  .  . 


Fro7n  William  Rossetti. 

5   ENDSLEIGH   GARDENS,    N.W. 

10  August  1883. 

Dearest  Mamma  and  Christina, 

This  letter  is  intended  more  particularly  for  Mamma's  atten- 
tion, but  for  convenience  sake  I  shall  proceed  as  if  I  were  simply 
addressing  Christina. 

It  appears  to  me  that  it  is  not  yet  quite  clear  to  you  that  I  should 
wish  Mamma  to  undertake  the  work  of  giving  orders  for  a  cross.  In 
deference  to  her  feelings  I  assent — and  cheerfully  assent — to  the  idea 
of  introducing  a  cross  into  the  monument,  in  whatever  form  may  be 
agreed  upon  between  Mamma  and  Brown  :  but,  as  my  own  personal 
opinion  does  not  go  with  the  cross  as  the  most  appropriate  device,  I 
entertain  a  very  decided  feeling  of  reluctance  to  giving  the  order  for  it 
myself ;  this  I  should  wish  Mamma  to  do  (presumably  through  you). 


^o 


—TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  133 


and  the  entire  direction  of  the  monument  would  then  remain  with 
Mamma — my  only  part  in  it  being  the  payment  of  the  cost.  Please 
to  refer  back  to  my  former  letter,  as  to  the  condition  of  consulting 
Brown. 

Possibly  what  I  previously  said  about  B.  and  an  Irish  cross  was  a 
little  misapprehended.  The  fact  then  is  that  I  did  not  in  any  way 
commission  B.  to  produce  a  design  with  a  cross :  I  simply  told  him 
that  Mamma  wants  a  cross,  and  that  his  cross-less  design  had  better 
therefore  be  suspended  pending  a  decision — and  he  replied  that  a 
design  consisting  of  an  Irish  cross  might  perhaps  answer.  .  .  . 

I  hardly  remember  whether  I  did  see  or  not  the  2  Art-lectures  by 
Ruskin  to  which  you  refer :  I  think  I  did  at  Seddon's  glance  at  a 
sentence  or  two  of  them.  I  forget  details.  Dare  say  there  is  some- 
thing more  or  less  unhandsome  about  Gabriel :  R.  seems  now  to  be 
very  scattered  and  uncertain,  though  of  course  he  pretty  often  hits 
nails  on  their  heads.  .  .  . 

See  AthencBum  of  4  Aug.  showing  that  some  of  Gabriel's  works, 
bought  at  the  Christie  sale,  are  now  in  S.  Kensington  Museum :  I 
rather  hope  to  get  round  to-morrow  and  see  them.  Also  something 
about  a  musical  setting  of  your  "Passing  away  " — your  chef  d'oeuvre, 
and  the  finest  sacred  poem  (me  judice)  in  the  language.  It  is  sus- 
ceptible of  an  astonishing  range  and  stress  of  musical  expression 
supposing  only  the  musician  to  have  this  at  command. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

CHURCH    HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

II  August  1883. 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

Thankyou  affectionately  for  the  dear  .  .  .  letter  of  this 
morning.  As  yours  was  virtually  and  primarily  to  our  Mother,  so  this 
is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  from  her. 

There  is  one  superb  virtue  in  which  she  and  you  alike  shine  and 
in  which — at  least  by  comparison — I  fear  I  only  gUmmer, — ^justice. 
She,  with  unvarying  love  to  you,  will  not  hear  of  any  arrangement 
which  either  in  fact  or  appearance  displaces  you  from  your  proper 


134  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

and  dominant  position  as  controller  of  the  monument.  She  there- 
fore absolutely  withdraws  her  late  suggestion ;  and,  enshrining  her 
own  pious  hope  in  her  own  window,  awaits  the  monument  under 
such  an  aspect  as  you  assign  to  it.  Therefore  do  not  ask  either  of  us 
to  write  to  F.  M.  B.,  for  direct  from  you  and  from  you  only  will  he 
receive  instructions.  .  .  .  She  wrote  to  you  yesterday,  and  doubtless 
you  already  have  her  letter.  And  I  add,  as  knowing  it  positively, 
that  her  secession  from  the  monument-question  is  according  to  her 
own  absolute  and  deliberate  wish,  and  creates  neither  sore  nor  chill 
in  that  glowing  maternal  heart.  .  .  . 

The  Shieldses  have  fairly  been  hunted  out  of  Birchington  by  noise  : 
we  have  not,  as  yet,  their  address  at  Margate,  but  there  I  hope  they 
are  housed  in  comparative  silence.  Here  they  were  in  really  distress- 
ingly noisy  quarters.  .  .  . 

Thankyou  for  telling  me  what  greatly  pleases  me,  that  you  so 
much  like  "Passing  away,"  which  also  I  rate  high  among  the  works 
of  that  author  ! 

Mamma  thinks  of  our  remaining  here  7  or  8  weeks  in  all,  unless 
Aunt  Charlotte's  coming  home  (of  which  there  is  a  prospect)  should 
be  so  timed  as  to  tempt  us  back  to  London  a  little  earlier.  The 
longest  period  contemplated  terminates  on  Sept.  6.  This  change 
and  fine  air  have  revived  us  both  ;  so  there  is  no  reason  of  health  for 
hastening  our  return,  but  rather  the  contrary. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  "accident  on  the  doorstep  "had  occurred  to  our  mother 
there  were  several  steps  from  the  street,  and  at  that  time  no  handrail. 
— The  mention  of  Alma-Tadema  in  connection  with  a  lecture  by 
Ruskin  is  an  error :  the  name  should  be  G.  F.  Watts.  It  was  rather 
perverse  of  Ruskin  to  animadvert  upon  Dante  Rossetti  for  living 
"  in  a  garret  at  Blackfriars."  As  a  youthful  painter  having  his  way 
to  make  in  the  profession,  he  naturally  lived  in  London  ;  his  chambers 
were  not  in  any  sense  a  garret,  but  a  commodious  and  rather  spacious 
range  of  second-floor  rooms ;  and  Ruskin  himself  used  to  congratu- 
late him  upon  having  a  river-view  comparable  to  most  things  in 
Venice. — The  Salterio  was  one  of  our  father's  principal  poems ;  the 
]MS.  about  Rome,  an  account  of  Roman  antiquities  drawn  up  at 
some  length  by  him  when  he  was  in  Rome  in   181 3  during  some 


i883— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  135 

political  complications.  I  gave  this  MS.  to  the  Municipality 
of  Vasto,  my  father's  natal  city,  in  connection  with  a  centenary  cele- 
bration of  his  birth  held  there  in  the  spring  of  1883.  I  did  not  get  it 
translated,  and  it  would  not  have  had  any  chance  with  any  English 
magazine. — Giuseppe  Marchesani  was  a  relative  of  our  father,  of  a 
younger  generation  :  we  knew  nothing  of  him  until  he  emerged  in 
connection  with  the  Vastese  celebration,  after  which  I  corresponded 
with  him  not  infrequently,  and  had  every  reason  to  regard  him 
with  esteem.  Filippo  Pistrucci  produced  more  than  one  water- 
colour  head  of  our  father.  Christina,  as  a  later  letter  shows,  did 
not  send  the  "  fright "  to  Marchesani ;  it  is,  I  believe,  a  head  which  I 
still  possess,  and  which  I  have  had  framed  along  with  another  por- 
trait, a  water-colour  by  J.  W.  Wright.  Pistrucci's  is  the  better  of  the 
two,  and  does  not  deserve  the  epithet  "  fright."] 


CHURCH   HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

15  August  1883. 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

Our  Mother  sends  you  her  love  and  regards  your  letter 
with  mingled  admiration  and  affection.  I  am  glad  to  trust  that  no 
permanent  damage  results  from  what  might  have  proved  the  very 
serious  accident  on  the  doorstep  :  a  degree  of  bruise  remains,  but 
that  is  the  least  indeed  we  could  have  expected.  My  only  wish  now 
is  that  we  liad  at  once  seen  about  a  handrail, — better  late  than  never. 
Her  health  is  on  the  whole  satisfactory,  though  naturally  subject  to  83 
drawbacks.  This  beautiful  air  and  quiet  change,  in  combination  with 
the  heart's-ease  of  being  near  Gabriel's  grave,  seem  to  have  revived 
her.  She  walks  about  very  well,  though  certainly  the  indented  cliff- 
edge  is  not  within  her  radius.  Neither,  I  foresee,  will  your  sluggish 
sister  foot  it.  Yesterday  we  enjoyed  a  drive  through  Westgate  into 
Margate.  Mr.  Shields's  move  in  search  of  quiet  reminds  one  of 
Dante's  impulse  towards  a  "  rovente  vetro  "  for  coolness  !  We  have 
not  seen  or  heard  of  him  since,  so  can  only  hope  that  he  feels  soothed. 
It  is  however  quite  obvious  that  his  Birchington  lodgings  must  have 
been  distressingly  unquiet,  thanks  to  various  provable  sources  of 
noise.  We  much  wish  he  could  and  would  so  far  sit  aloof  from  dis- 
turbance as  to  be  able  to  put  pencil  to  paper  in  Mamma's  service ; 
but  perhaps  at  this  moment  he  is  hard  at  work,  so  I  need  not  wax 
ill-natured. 


136  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

The  Ruskin  Lectures  are  no  longer  here,  so  to  my  regret  I  cannot 
refer  to  them  for  the  exact  title.  I  think  they  were  named  in  some 
such  way  as  this:  "Art  Lectures:  i.  Dante  Rossetti  and  Hoi  man 
Hunt ;  2.  Burne  Jones  and  Alma  Tadema."  Each  lecture  formed 
one  pamphlet.  The  copy  Mrs.  Seddon  lent  us  was  not  her  own  but 
was  lent  by  some  friend.  Though  the  ist  alone  professes  to  treat 
of  Gabriel,  the  wind-up  of  the  second  re-introduces  his  name  in  a 
more  agreeable  manner  than  most  or  perhaps  than  any  of  the  pre- 
ceding portions.  Part  is  really  irritatingly  depreciatory,  but  I  can 
well  imagine  that  the  lecturer  is  not  now  altogether  his  pristine  self. 
From  internal  evidence  it  suggests  itself  that  Holman  Hunt  and 
Burne  Jones  are  certain  to  possess  copies  of  utterances  so  gratifying 
to  each.  But,  if  for  any  reason  you  do  not  feel  disposed  to  slake 
your  curiosity  at  either  source  and  have  none  better  at  hand,  I  will 
(if  you  please)  try  whether  I  could  borrow  for  you  .  .  .  The  most 
irritating  sentence  perhaps  of  all  is  one  in  which  Ruskin  speaks  of 
Gabriel's  having  cut  himself  off  from  the  possibility  of  studying  out- 
door nature  by  living  in  a  "  garret "  at  Blackfriars ;  but  even  this 
utterance  should  not,  I  admit,  perturb  Christian  patience  !  He  also 
particularizes  "  Chinese  puzzle  "  details,  and  foliage  (?)  like  the  con- 
tents of  a  Noah's  Ark.  Yet  the  opening  of  Lecture  i.  and  the  close 
of  Lecture  2.  are  affectionate  and  admiring.  .  .  . 

The  old  original  edition  of  the  Salterio  is  exhausted.  But  of  the 
later  edition,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  you  will  find  several  copies  in  one 
or  other  of  the  boxes  or  paper-parcels  which  (at  least  used  to)  inhabit 
the  same  garret  as  the  box  of  correspondence.  At  the  worst,  how- 
ever, doubtless  one  can  be  found  in  our  quarters  in  case  of  need :  I 
feel  certain  that  some  do  exist.  What  a  dear  old  M.S.  you  have 
unearthed  about  Rome !  Mamma  surmises  that  it  was  probably  a 
ministerial  production  while  Papa  headed  "  Public  Instruction " 
under  Murat.  Would  it  be  worth  while  translating  it  into  English 
(before  it  vanishes  to  Vasto)  and  trying  its  fortune  somewhere  as  a 
magazine-article  ? — this  occurred,  this  question  of  the  translation,  to 
Mamma. 

She  and  I  may  perhaps  make  our  way  to  South  Kensington  to  see 
the  beautiful  drawings. 

As  to  Marchesani,  Mamma  does  not  feel  inclined  to  enrich  him 
with  her  photograph,  and  I  (chronically)  do  not  possess  mine.     Yet  I 


1883— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  137 

like  his  letter,  poor  man,  and  wish  him  well.  I  wonder  if  he  would 
greatly  value  a  fright  by  Pistrucci  of  our  Father :  possibly  I  might 
bestow  it  in  such  a  case  upon  him,  but  I  do  not  promise.  .  .  . 

Yesterday  we  drove  to  Margate,  and  found  it  superior  to  at  least 
7ny  expectations.  Westgate,  on  the  way,  rather  pleased  me,  but  did 
not  attract  Mamma. 

The  enclosed  represents,  and  does  in  some  sort  misrepresent, 
"love  in  a  mist,"  a  white  blossom  with  green  centre  and  green 
thready  widespreading  calyx  (?),  an  annual  which  I  do  not  recollect 
ever  to  have  seen  elsewhere.  Do  you  know  it  ?  it  charms  us  both. 
My  powers  do  not  suffice  to  exhibit  the  free  in-all-directions  growth 
of  the  calyx  "  mist,"  which  instead  of  lying  down  like  a  frill  often 
rather  envelopes  the  blossom  like  a  cloud.  .  .  . 

I  see  I  have  twice  told  you  we  went  to  Margate — pardon ! 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Hythe. 

["  Cathy  "  (Mrs.  Francis  Hueffer,  half-sister  of  my  wife)  had  some 
musical  training,  and  it  would  appear  that  she  was  endeavouring — 
but  with  no  eventual  success — to  impart  some  of  it  to  our  daughter 
Olivia.] 

BI RCHINGTON-ON-SEA, 

22  August  1883. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

Your  long  and  interesting  letter  is  very  welcome  to  Mamma 
who  thanks  you  for  it  with  love.  ...  If  ever  she  hears  Olive  warble 
forth  a  sweet  soprano  melody,  it  may  do  something  towards  supplying 
the  defects  of  her  own  unmusical  daughters.  So  Cathy  cultivates 
graces  while  you  train  intellects  among  your  young  people :  a  capital 
exchange.  .  .  . 

I  have  been  seeing  more  of  the  Seddon  family  down  here  than 
perhaps  I  ever  saw  before  ;  and  I  incline  to  like  them  much,  as  well 
as  to  esteem  them.  In  different  styles  what  beautiful  girls  both  the 
daughters  are  .  .  . 

I  am  not  fretting  over  the  Ruskiniana,  though  at  the  moment  I  plead 
guilty  to  having  felt  annoyed.  Yet  my  resumed  philosophic  calm  is 
not  based  on  a  contempt  for  the  writer,  as  I  cannot  help  admiring 


138  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

much  of  his  work.  I  hope  it  is  based  on  something  more  permanent 
and  less  discreditable.  The  Shieldses  have  vanished  from  our 
ken.  .  .  . 

To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Hythe. 

[Christina's  scrupulosity  re-appears  in  this  letter.  Apart  from 
mere  casual  fractiousness  in  days  of  quasi-infancy,  she  had  really 
never  been  ill-tempered  or  exasperating  v/ith  me,  that  I  can  remem- 
ber, and  I  had  no  "tale  to  unfold."  Any  "irritability"  which  she 
may  have  shown  while  housed  along  with  my  wife  (summer  of  1874 
to  autumn  of  1876)  was  hardly  to  be  called  irritability  :  it  all  de- 
pended upon  differences  of  view  as  to  matters  of  religion  and  the 
obligations  of  life.  But  Christina  was  of  that  self-abnegating  temper 
which  might  have  said  with  King  David  after  he  had  danced  before 
the  ark,  to  the  disgust  of  Queen  Michal — "  And  I  will  yet  be  more 
vile  than  thus,  and  will  be  base  in  mine  own  sight."] 

CHURCH    HILL,    BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

24  {August  1883]. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

...  It  is  such  a  triumph  for  me  to  attain  to  philosophic  calm 
that,  even  if  that  subdued  temper  is  applied  by  me  without  common 
sense,  "color  che  sanno"  may  still  congratulate  me  on  some  sort  of 
improvement !  Ask  William,  who  knew  me  in  my  early  stormy  days  : 
he  could  a  tale  unfold — though  indeed  I  am  sorry  to  recollect  how 
much  you  yourself  have  undergone  from  my  irritability,  and  how 
much  there  is  for  you  to  bury  in  kind  oblivion.  I  fear  you  may 
detect  me  in  many  an  inconsistency,  yet  I  assure  you  that  in  theory 
you  do  not  deem  consistency  more  essential  than  do  I.  I  did  not 
discuss  Ruskin  with  the  Seddons  :  it  was  with  Mr.  Shields  that  our 
conversation  on  that  subject  took  place ;  and  he,  generously  on  fire, 
thought  me  (I  fear  perhaps)  a  little  tepid. 

We  have  just  begun  our  seventh  week  here,  and  entertain  no  idea 
of  exceeding  eight  weeks  in  all.  I  wonder  whether  you  or  we  will  be 
at  home  first.  .  .  . 

Fro7n  Miss  Sophie  Cavley. 

[Christina  already  knew  of  Charles  Cayley's  death  before  this  letter 
reached  her.     As   suggested   in   the   postscript,    I    wrote   a   notice 


i883— FROM    PROFESSOR   CAYLEY  139 

regarding  him  for  The  AthencEiDn,  referred  to  in  Christina's  letter  of 
15  December.] 


4   SOUTH    CRESCENT. 

7  Decetnber  1883. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

I  do  not  know  whether  you  will  have  heard — I  received  a 
telegram  yesterday,  at  12,  from  Dr.  Pope  in  this  house,  saying  I  had 
better  come  at  once  to  my  brother, — there  was  little  hope.  I  came  by 
the  next  train;  but  found,  as  I  had  dreaded  all  the  way,  it  was  only  a 
preparation,  as  people  kindly  think.  They  found  him  dead  in  his  bed, 
and  the  Doctor  says  he  must  have  passed  away,  hours  before,  in  his 
sleep.  He  looks  beautifully  calm  and  peaceful,  and  he  is  [in]  God's 
all  merciful  and  holy  keeping.  But  it  has  been  a  terrible  shock.  Some 
time  ago  we  were  very  uneasy  about  his  health,  and  tried  to  get  him 
to  come  for  a  little  change  and  nursing ;  but  latterly  we  thought  him 
better  again,  especially  while  my  sister  was  in  town.  He  has  left 
you  all  his  own  works  that  are  now  at  his  Publishers',  and  a  large 
writing-desk,  in  which  is  an  envelope  with  a  letter  of  yours  to  him, 
and  a  ring :  there  is  also  a  large  packet  of  your  letters.  Would 
you  like  them  returned?  You  were  I  know  the  friend  he  valued 
most. 

We  intend  to  have  him  buried  near  my  mother,  at  Hastings — the 
day  is  not  quite  settled.  .  .  . 

Do  you  think  your  brother  would  write  a  short  notice  of  Charles 
in  any  paper  he  thinks  most  fitting  ? 


From  Professor  Caylev. 

CAMBRIDGE. 

9  December  1883. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

I  enclose  an  extract  from  my  brother's  will :  I  am  very 
sorry  that  I  did  not  when  I  was  in  London  take  out  from  the  desk 
the  packet  addressed  to  you.  The  letters  are  all  separated  and  tied 
up  in  parcels  :  I  understood  from  my  sister  that  you  wished  them  to 
be  destroyed,  and  I  will  of  course  see  this  done. 


I40  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

And,  in  the  event  of  my  dying  before  my  dear  and  kind  friend 
Miss  Christina  Georgiana  Rossetti,  of  30  Torrington  Square,  London, 
I  bequeath  her  the  remainder  of  such  books  as  have  been  published 
for  me  by  Messrs.  Longmans  &  Co.  and  which  they  are  in  the  habit 
of  selling  on  commission  for  me,  and  all  sums  actually  payable  to 
me  on  account  of  such  sales,  and  all  books  I  shall  have  in  warehouses 
or  at  the  binders  of  the  editions  so  sold  on  commission.  And  the 
said  Christina  Rossetti  is  also  to  have  my  best  writing-desk,  and 
any  packet  that  may  be  lying  therein  addressed  to  her,  and  she  shall 
be  entitled  to  reclaim  or  order  to  be  destroyed  any  letters  of  hers 
which  may  be  found  among  my  papers  or  effects. 

Will  dated  3  May  1883. 

To  Frederic  J.  Shields. 

30   TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

II  December  1S83. 

Dear  Mr.  Shields, 

I  enclose  the  inscription  as  my  mother  will  like  it  inscribed 
on  the  window,  if  there  is  room  for  it  in  full. 

It  really  is  her  wish  to  begin  paying  the  money-part  of  her  debt : 
the  friendly  part  she  accepts  and  owns  as  priceless.  Shall  she  send 
you  ;!^5o  or  ;^ioo  ?  Whichever  you  prefer  at  this  particular  moment, 
she  having  no  choice  one  way  or  the  other.  Anything  beyond  the 
;^ioo  you  will  draw  upon  her  for  when  you  know  the  entire  sum 
needed.  Please  let  us  know  which  sum  she  shall  send  you  :  a  degree 
of  delay  will  occur  in  her  getting  it  actually  into  hand,  but  no  great 
delay  we  trust. 

We  hope  you  will  approve  of  the  inscription  :  both  she  and  I 
favour  simple  prose  rather  than  rhyme;  and  she  wants  to  express 
that  it  is  his  Mother  who  erects  the  memorial,  this  being  sufficiently 
conveyed  by  "my  dear  son." 

Pray  remember  us  warmly  to  your  wife,  to  whom  with  yourself  we 
wish  all  blessings  of  the  approaching  Christmas  Feast ;  nor  will  we 
shut  your  stray  lamb  out  of  our  good  will  and  good  auguries.   .  .  . 

Don't  fancy  the  delay  will  be  long — perhaps  a  week  or  so,  but  we 
never  quite  know  ourselves  from  the  nature  of  the  temporary 
investment. 


1883— FROM    SHIELDS  141 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[15  December  1883.] 
My  dear  William, 

Please  tell  Lucy  with  my  love  how  gratefully  I  am  feeling 
her  sisterly  kindness. 

Mamma  and  I  are  delighting — what  a  word ! — in  your  article. 
She  thinks  it  one  of  the  best  of  the  kind,  if  not  the  best,  she  ever 
read.     /  cannot  write  about  it. 

You  said  of  old  how  mistakes  beset  these  records  : — the  date  was 
the  5-6th. 

From  Frederic  Shields. 

[In  the  first  instance  Mr.  Shields  intended  to  use,  as  the  subject  of 
one  of  the  lights  in  the  stained-glass  window  at  Birchington,  the 
design  by  Dante  Rossetti  of  The  Magdalene  at  the  door  of  Simon 
the  Pharisee :  hence  his  allusion  to  "  the  Magdalen's  dress."  The 
Vicar  of  Birchington  did  not  wholly  like  this  selection  :  and  another 
of  Rossetti's  designs,  The  Passover  in  the  Holy  Family,  was  sub- 
stituted.] 

7    LODGE   PLACE,  N.W. 

1 6  December  1883. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

I  have  been  steadily  working  at  the  window  since  seeing  you 
last — and  the  ornamental  border  of  the  whole,  with  the  monogram 
and  its  rose-supports,  are  now  designed.  The  Magdalen's  dress  has 
received  its  pattern,  and  all  seems  now  filling  up  into  complete 
harmony. 

Moreover  the  inscription,  which  I  feared  too  long  when  it  arrived, 
has  actually  found  full  insertion,  and  this  will  please  Mrs.  Rossetti 
to  know.  I  have  prepared  the  lead-lines  also,  and  all  is  in 
readiness  to  set  the  stained-glass  people  at  work,  if  they  would 
now  begin — which  they  will  not  till  the  Christmas  holidays  are 
past. 

I  will  not  longer  put  restraint  on  your  dear  Mother's  good  will 
to  send  so  much  as  the  smaller  sum  of  ^50 — but  it  is  premature 


142  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

to  think  of  sending  more  till  much  further  advanced,  and  I  am  very 
anxious  to  keep  the  cost  within  the  original  estimate. 

Opening  yesterday's  Atheticeiim,  I  was  startled  into  sudden  distress 
by  the  obituary  notice,  from  your  brother's  pen,  of  Mr.  Cayley's 
unexpected  death.  His  gentleness  and  harmless  absent  manners 
had  won  my  love,  as  much  as  his  work  had  my  admiration. 

Truly  does  William  say — "We  shall  not  look  upon  his  like." 

His  face  was  always  beautiful  to  me — one  I  liked  to  dwell  upon. 
Here  I  shall  see  it  no  more. 

From  you,  good  wishes  are  prayers  and  blessings,  and  we  thank 
you  both  for  them,  reciprocating  them  affectionately  for  your  own 
happiness  at  Christmas  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[It  would  appear,  but  I  do  not  recollect  any  details,  that  I  had 
proposed  to  Christina  that  a  subscription  might  be  got  up  for 
re-issuing  some  portion  of  Cayley's  writings  or  translations.  This 
was  not  actually  done.] 

30   TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

17  December  1883. 

My  dear  William, 

Having  to  write,  I  return  Mr.  Shields's  letter  which  I  like 
truly.  It  happens  I  heard  from  him  this  morning  about  the  window, 
and  then  he  expressed  himself  to  me  as  sympathetically  :  the  meeting 
he  alludes  to  I  had  been  told  of  by  my  dearest  Friend. 

As  to  the  books,  be  sure  I  shall  subscribe  if  that  comes  to  pass. 
But  at  this  moment  I  think  you  had  better  wait,  for  {not  the  copyrights 
but)  the  remainders  of  the  translation-editions  on  sale  have  been 
left  to  me,  and  I  suppose  Longmans  will  communicate  with  me 
some  day.  .  .  . 

You  certainly  ought  to  know  this  now ;  as,  if  you  write  on  the 
subject  of  your  scheme  to  Profr.  Cayley — evidently,  though  I  have 
not  been  actually  told  so,  the  executor — all  might  get  into  a  con- 
fusion between  you,  unless  you  are  aware  of  this  circumstance. 
Don't  think  I  have  been  keeping  it  to  myself  of  unkind  purpose, — 
but  all  is  what  it  is,  and  no  other  aspect  is  of  much  moment. 


|»«r 

jBk 

1 

i 

^/  .fr" 

A 

wLnk 

m~    ■'■^r'%b^ 

m 

w'^ '  ^1 

Bl^^\ 

^^^ 

u 

1 

B 

Charles   Bagot   Caylp:v. 

From  a  Photograph,  c.  i866. 


To  /ace  /.  142. 


1884— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  143 

Thankyou  for  the  offered  Athejimcm,  and  still  more  for  the 
aimed-at  correction  :  I  am  sorry  I  was  the  misleader,  .  .  . 

A  beautiful  desk  has  been  left  me  too,  and  Arthur  Cayley  brought 
it  me  himself  the  other  evening. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

["  Not  an  aquila  "  (eagle) :  this  was  a  wonted  expression  of  our 
father  when  he  meant  to  imply  that  some  one  was  the  reverse  of 
sharp-witted. — "  Mr.  something  Ford  "  must  have  been  Mr.  Onslow 
Ford :  I  am  not  aware  that  his  acquaintanceship  with  Christina 
proceeded  any  further. — Mr.  John  Walker,  then  quite  a  young  man, 
has  written  various  works  in  verse  and  prose  under  the  name  of 
Roland  Thirlmere  :  he  was  a  strong  admirer  of  Christina's  poetry. — 
Mrs.  Isabella  Pietrocola-Rossetti  was  now  about  to  re-marry  with 
Mr.  Lionel  Cole,  a  connection  of  Lord  Congleton. — The  "  ivory  of 
a  nestling  "  was  a  choice  trifle  of  Japanese  art  which  I  (or  possibly  my 
brother)  had  given  to  Christina  years  previously.] 


6   STATION    ROAD,  BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

28  August  1884. 

My  DEAR  William, 

Our  Mother  sends  you  her  old-established  love  :  as  you  are 
en  garfon  we  do  not  salute  wife  and  children.  We  think  we  may  be 
very  fairly  comfortable  here,  and  hope  to  remain  where  we  are  until 
our  return  home.  Mrs.  Gardner,  our  landlady,  seems  an  obliging 
well-meaning  young  woman,  although  not  an  aquila.  No  children,  and 
a  judicious  husband  who  makes  no  show :  a  small  farmer  and  carrier, 
I  am  told. 

Think  of  our  feelings  at  the  station, — Mamma  tired,  and  no  cab  ! 
Happily  on  the  platform  was  a  clergyman,  a  Mr.  Deacon  whose 
acquaintance  we  made  last  year  down  here :  he  came  forward,  took 
us  in  tow,  helped  Mamma  along,  carried  our  ^  umbrellas  and 
parasols,  and,  having  got  us  to  our  lodgings,  crowned  courtesy 
by  not  coming  in.  Next  morning  he  reappeared,  before  quitting 
Birchington  the  same  day :  and  a  little  later  re-appeared  with  his 
wife  and  2  nice  little  baby  boys  to  say  how  do  you  do  and  good- 
bye.    Utilizing  the  flying  moment  he  (I  permitting)  introduced  to 


144  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

me  a  Mr.  something  Ford,  a  sculptor,  who  with  his  family  lodges 
I  believe  next  door,  or  at  any  rate  close  by.  Do  you  know  aught 
of  a  Mr.  anything  Ford?  Mr.  Deacon  profoundly  believes  in  his 
talent ;  and  I  hope  it  exists,  as  he  has  promised  me  a  photo, 
from  a  work  of  his  representing  a  dirge  (?)  tributary  to  the  talent 
of  Englishmen,  and  I  dare  say  including  in  intention  Gabriel,  of 
whom  he  is  an  outspoken  admirer. 

We  have  seen  the  Cross,  very  fine  in  our  Mother's  eyes  and  in 
mine ;  and  I  see  that  Mr.  Alcock,  with  whom  we  fell  in,  perceives 
its  beauty.  This  I  am  glad  of.  The  grave  is  not  covered  with 
roses  or  trellis  or  aught  else,  but  I  see  with  pleasure  one  of  the 
original  little  shrubs  (doubtless)  standing  where  it  stood.  Also  that 
unaccounted-for  cross  of  artificial  white  flowers  remains  lying  as  it 
lay.  The  afternoon  brought  me  a  boxfull  of  heather  from  Mr.  John 
Walker,  so  this  I  made  up  partly  in  a  cross,  strewing  other  sprays 
of  blossom  ;  and  then  the  whole  grave  looked  cared  for  and  pretty 
for  the  moment. 

Full  of  other  subjects  when  you  called,  we  quite  forgot  to  speak 
of  Isabella.  Amazed  we  were !  If  you  can,  please  tell  something 
about  "  Lord  Congleton,"  whom  I  fail  to  find  in  an  antiquated 
Peerage  where  I  rummaged.  ...  I  wrote  to  her  .  .  ,  hearty 
good  wishes  to  her  and  hers ;  and  I  sent  her  as  a  little  wedding- 
gift  a  charming  ivory  of  a  nestling  I  had  kept  these  many 
years.  .  .  . 

We  have  a  pretty  sitting-room  paper  which  Mamma  pronounces  a 
"  Morris." 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[My  daughter  Helen,  then  in  her  fifth  year,  had  written  a  letter  to 
me,  found  acceptable  by  my  mother  in  virtue  of  its  naivete  :  it  will 
be  seen  quoted  in  my  Appendix,  Diary  of  Frances  Rossetti.  Mr. 
Bristow  was  the  custodian  of  the  churchyard  at  Birchington. — Achille 
Pietrocola,  a  maternal  relative  of  my  father,  and  one  of  our  then 
Vastese  correspondents,  had  had  an  idea  of  publishing  some  uncul- 
tured verses,  not  destitute  of  native  humour  and  faculty,  by  an  elder 
brother  of  my  father,  Antonio  Rossetti :  he  had  consulted  myself 
and  some  others,  and  now  acquiesced  in  the  opinion  that  it  would  be 
better  to  drop  the  project.] 


HERE   SLEEPS 
HONOURED  UNDEB  THE  N*"„         I 

■  Coam5ng""s\sa:-oei 


Tut  Gka\l-lkijs,s  of  Dante  Rossetti, 
Designed  by  Ford  Madox  Brown,  1883. 


[To  face  p.  144. 


i884— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  145 

6  STATION    ROAD,  BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

2  September  1884. 

My  dear  William, 

Helen's  letter  is  charming, — our  Mother  does  not  think  so 
more  genuinely  than  do  I :  the  kitten  is  inimitable.  Here  it  is  back 
again,  but  not  without  my  first  copying  it  into  the  maternal  diary. 
Thank  you  too  for  Isabella :  .  .  .  I  quite  see  that  the  marriage  is 
under  all  circumstances  a  brilliant  one. 

I  propose  to  call  on  Mr.  Bristow  this  afternoon  and  (if  I  can) 
put  him  into  direct  communication  with  you,  first  of  all  explaining 
why  at  the  time  your  orders  could  not  be  carried  out.  It  seems  that 
just  then  the  long-continued  drought  rendered  the  ground  intractable 
for  your  purpose.  Now  that  rain  has  fallen  in  some  quantity  and  in 
repeated  downcomes  perhaps  something  may  be  feasible.  Supposing 
the  roses  and  trellis  for  some  reason  relinquished,  I  think  violets 
would  have  this  plea,  that  a  golden  violet  was  (was  it  not  ?)  a 
Provengal  prize  for  poetry.  Perhaps,  though,  you  would  think  this 
arrogant :  /  surmise  that  no  one  besides  ourselves  might  scent  the 
allusion.  .  .  , 

Achille  tells  me  in  so  many  words  that  he  will  suppress  Uncle 
Antonio's  poems.  I  send  you  his  letter,  which  you  need  not  return 
hither.  .  .  . 

Mamma  sends  you  much  love.  Her  positive  wish  is  that  the 
beloved  grave  should  be  completed  as  you  think  best.  How  fine 
the  Cross  looks  :  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Brown  yesterday  on  purpose  to 
express  Mamma's   and   my  own  admiration   and   satisfaction.  .  .  . 

I  have  just  received  the  letter  I  enclose  from  Isabella.  I  like  it 
very  much.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  observation,  "  I  cannot  remember  that  my  portrait  ever  was 
engraved,"  arises  out  of  some  question  which  had  been  raised  as 
to  a  portrait  in  an  American  edition  of  Christina's  poems.  The 
"  little  early  water-colour "  now  belongs  to  my  daughter  Olivia 
Agresti  in  Rome.  "  The  amazing  object  achieved  later,"  also  by 
Filippo  Pistrucci,  is  in  my  possession,  representing — or  rather  totally 
misrepresenting — Christina  at  some  such  age  as  eleven.] 
10 


146  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

6  STATION    ROAD,  BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

3  September  1884. 

My  dear  William, 

...  I  called  on  Bristow,  who  will  write  straight  to  yourself. 
He  is  quite  prepared  to  do  what  you  require,  and  seems  fully  to 
understand  your  order :  only  it  appears  that  not  till  November  can 
we  count  upon  setting  roses.  I  think  the  effect,  at  the  blooming 
season,  will  be  charming  indeed  if  all  prospers.  Have  you  mentally 
selected  the  sort  of  rose  ?  I  recollect  Gabriel's  paramount  love  of 
the  wild  rose,  and  fancy  that  either  this,  or  else  the  exquisite  sweet 
brier  which  bears  a  very  similar  flower,  could  not  be  excelled  for  the 
purpose.  .  .  . 

The  Fords  have  left  Birchington :  I  find  they  frequent  the 
Gosses.  .  .  . 

I  cannot  remember  that  my  portrait  ever  was  engraved,  unless 
one  reckons  Scotus's  etching  (?)  from  Pistrucci's  pretty  little  early 
watercolour,— the  one  Gabriel  liked,  not  the  amazing  object  achieved 
later. 

Bristow  told  us  of  the  amount  of  visiting  dear  G's  grave  which 
has  taken  place,  one  lady  "  fainting."  He  seemed  quite  impressed  by 
the  attention  shown. 

To   WlLLL\M    ROSSETTI. 

[This  letter  (as  may  readily  be  perceived)  was  consequent  upon 
my  having  announced  that  my  youngest  daughter  Mary  was  attacked 
by  scarlet  fever ;  and  that,  in  order  to  avoid  infection  for  the  other 
children,  I  was  proposing  to  stay  for  a  while  with  some  of  them  at 
No.  30  Torrington  Square.  I  did  so,  along  with  Olivia  and  Helen — 
not  Arthur. — "■  Avra  piii  spirito  di  tuttV  (she  will  be  the  cleverest 
of  the  set)  is  what  our  grandfather  Polidori  had  said  of  Christina 
herself  in  very  early  days.] 

6  STATION    ROAD,   BIRCHINGTON-ON-SEA. 

23  September  1884. 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

...  It  is  only  your  letter  of  this  morning  which  tells  us  that 
darling  little  Mary  positively  has  scarlet  fever,  but  happily  adding 
the  good  news  that  the  crisis  has  passed  favourably.     I  hope  Lucy's 


1884— FROM   SWINBURNE  147 

throat  will  recover  without  further  mischief,  as  also  Arthur's.  We 
are  finding  Birchington  air  as  suitable  as  heretofore. 

About  your  staying  with  Olive,  Arthur,  and  Helen,  in  Torrington 
Square,  nothing  would  in  itself  please  us  anything  like  so  well.  The 
sole  (and  this  merely  contingent)  difficulty  seems  to  us  to  be  whether 
your  and  my  very  advanced  Aunts  may  find  the  charge  too  anxious 
and  too  much  for  them  altogether.  If  this  is  not  the  case,  surely 
the  maternal  roof  is  the  natural  refuge  for  you  and  yours.  ...  I 
shall  be  much  disappointed  if  you  vacate  30. 

Olive  has  written  2  agreeable  notes  of  thanks  to  us.  Helen  (I 
augur  in  the  style  of  our  Grandfather)  "avra  piu  spirito  di  tutti," 
— allowing,  that  is,  for  the  inborn  preponderance  of  man  over 
woman !  .  .  . 

Froin  Algernon  Swinburne. 

[This  letter  accompanied  a  copy  of  Mr.  Swinburne's  volume  A 
Mtdsuttimer  Holiday  a?id  other  Poems.  The  piece  to  which  he  calls 
particular  attention  is  entitled  A  Ballad  of  Appeal,  to  Christina 
G.  Rossetti.  It  begins  "  Song  wakes  with  every  wakening  year,'' 
and  craves  that  Christina  v/ould  again  give  "  Sweet  water  from  the 
well  of  song."] 

THE   PINES,    PUTNEY   HILL,    S.W. 

17  November  1884. 

Dear  Miss  Rossetti, 

I  hope  you  will  not  think  I  have  taken  a  liberty  in  address- 
ing you  publicly  without  so  much  as  "  with  your  leave  "  or  "  by  your 
leave."  Your  kind  acceptance  of  a  previous  little  offering  in  metre 
emboldened  me  to  express  a  wish  which  all  your  readers  must  share, 
and  to  which  I  trust  you  will  not  always  turn  a  deaf  ear — long  as  it 
seems  since  you  have  given  us  any  fresh  cause  to  thank  you  for  a 
fresh  gift  of  such  verse  as  you  only  can  give.  It  is  but  very  little,  of 
all  that  one  would  like  to  say,  that  can  be  expressed  in  so  short  and 
simple  an  appeal  as  that  which  you  will  find  addressed  to  you  at  page 
1 1 2  of  the  little  volume  which  accompanies  this  little  note  :  but  you 
must  allow  its  sincerity  and  earnestness  to  atone  for  its  brevity  and 
inadequacy.  I  wonder  if  I  may  venture  to  hope  that  you  will  like 
the  seven  baby-songs  which  immediately  follow  it. 

With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Rossetti,  &c.  .  .  . 


148  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  marks  a  beginning  in  the  decline  of  vital  energy  which 
affected  our  mother's  closing  year.  After  returning  to  London  from 
Birchington,  in  1884,  she  did  not  again  leave  town  for  any  holiday- 
recruiting.— The  notice  which  I  wrote  in  the  Athenceum  was  on  Mr. 
Cordy  Jeaffreson's  book,  The  Real  Shelky?\ 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE. 

ixojune  1SS5.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  do  not  think  we  can  have  told  you  that  we  have  quite 
given  up  going  to  Brighton  :  the  prospect  proved  to  be  too  upsetting, 
so  now  we  are  substituting  drives  (our  first  taken  to-day)  for  the  more 
ambitious  outing.  To-day  we  utilized  our  fly  by  calling  at  the  Scotts' 
where  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  W,  B.  looking  very  fair  all  con- 
sidered ;  he  now  takes  and  enjoys  drives,  and  speaks  cheerfully  of 
his  own  health.  Alice  Boyd  appeared,  but  Mrs.  Scotus  was  out. 
Mamma — her  dear  love  to  you — and  I  have  read  with  admiration 
your  first  notice  of  the  "real"  Shelley  :  I  wish  I  were  as  fair-minded 
as  you  are,  but  I  must  not  despair  of  acquiring  as  a  grace  what  you 
have  as  a  gift. 

I  wanted  you  to  know  that  here  we  are  lest  you  should  get   off 
coming  to  see  us  !  ! 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,    Vent/ior. 

[The  illness,  bronchial  pneumonia,  which  gradually  led  on  to 
phthisis  and  its  fatal  termination,  had  begun  with  my  wife  in 
February  1885  :  thereafter  she  often  had  to  go  to  some  health- 
resort  or  other — in  the  present  instance,  Ventnor.  Miss  Tynan 
is  the  admired  authoress  in  verse  and  prose,  now  Mrs.  Hinkson. 
Shortly  before  this  date  she  had  begun  corresponding  with  me 
about  her  first  poetic  volume,  in  which  I  found  abundant  charm  : 
she  also  called  upon  Christina.  The  latter  was  frequently  beset 
by  budding  bards  (not  of  like  rank  with  Miss  Tynan)  and  their  first 
volumes.  To  make  her  believe  that  poetry  is  good  when  in  fact  it  is 
only  mediocre  was  by  no  means  an  easy  task.     She  had  a  habit  of 


i886— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  149 

acknowledging  with  thanks  a  book  as  soon  as  received  and  before 
reading  it,  so  as  to  save  herself  the  disagreeable  alternative  of  either 
"  damning  with  faint  praise  "  or  else  attempting  a  strain  of  eulogy 
beyond  her  real  belief.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

II  S^Jannary^  1 886. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  felt  an  impulse  to  write  to  you  on  Saturday,  but  "  Time 
flew  "  and  it  remained  undone.  Now  I  sit  down  to  respond  to  your 
last  delightful  letter.  We  get  fairly  good  news  of  you  from  William, 
whom  last  we  saw  on  Friday  :  I  hope  when  he  has  joined  you — 
as  he  was  then  planning  to  do  one  day  this  week — you  will  rejoice 
his  heart  by  coming  into  fuller  bloom  before  his  eyes.  I  wonder 
whether  Miss  Tynan  told  him  what  she  told  me,  that  she  preferred 
your  portrait  to  Lizzie's, — and  I  wonder  whether  you  will  think  this 
worth  telling  you  !  (I  should  appreciate  it,  were  it  L)  Miss  Tynan 
is  an  agreeable  young  woman  enough,  and  deferential  enough  to 
pufF  me  up  like  puff-paste.  She  has  given  me  a  volume  of  Vagrant 
Verse  by  her  friend  Miss  Rosa  Mulholland,  but  I  rate  higher 
K.  T.'s  own  muse.  Sad  to  say,  another  unknown  has  presented  me 
with  a  volume  of  Sonnets  of  which  (so  far  as  I  have  waded)  the  less 
said  the  better  as  poetry ;  my  note  of  thanks  turned  out  jejune, 
though  the  spirit  is  admirable  and  I  found  one  point  to  praise. 
Don't  you  ever  publish  a  volume  unless  you  are  quite  sure  you  can 
excel  (say)  Mr.  W.  Shakespear ;  or  if  not,  at  least  don't  bestow  it 
on  poor  disconcerted  me !  a  warning  to  be  early  and  with  absolute 
impartiality  brought  home  to  Olive,  Arthur,  Helen,  Mary,  who 
exhibit  alarming  tendencies. 

News  is  not  my  forte.  We  potter  contentedly  on  with  no  very 
marked  vicissitudes  even  of  health.  We  have  just  read  the  Memoir 
and  Letters  of  Sara  Coleridge  (I  reading  aloud  to  Mamma),  and 
perhaps,  if  you  were  at  a  loss  for  a  book,  you  might  find  some  of  it 
interesting. 

Besides  the  warning  {see  ante)  please  give  my  love  to  your  four, 
and  much  more  my  Mother's  with  a  share  for  yourself.  Aunts 
Charlotte  and  Eliza  send  love.  .  .  . 


I50  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti,    Vetiinor, 

[My  article  upon  Butler's  prose-translation  of  Dante's  Paradiso 
was  in  The  Athenceum  :  I  need  not  enter  on  any  of  the  details  referred 
to  by  Christina. — The  *'  old  nurse  Stevens  "  was  the  mother  of  a 
female  servant  in  our  house  in  Endsleigh  Gardens.  She  had  acted 
as  an  assistant  (not  a  regular  servant)  in  the  house  towards  1871  &c., 
more  especially  in  looking  after  Christina  in  her  then  formidable 
illness.] 


30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

19  [yanua/y]  1886. 

My  dear  William, 

It  was  a  distinct  pleasure  to  get  your  letter  this  morning, 
and  a  second  distinct  pleasure  this  afternoon  to  read  aloud  to 
Mamma  your  admirable  review  of  Butler's  Paradiso,  lucid,  in- 
teresting, and  delightfully  written.  I  was  perfectly  charmed  when  I 
came  upon  your  reason  for  reading  "Dante"  rather  than  "da  te"  : 
how  Maria  would  have  enjoyed  the  suggestion.  Good  too  is  the 
"  Marsyas  "  subtilty  ;  and  perhaps  it  tones  down  somewhat  the  disgust 
of  the  myth,  by  inviting  us  to  think  of  the  catastrophe  not  as  a 
vengeance  after  the  contest  but  as  a  strong  way  of  announcing  that 
M.  was  fairly  rapt  out  of  himself  and  surrendered  all  insane  rivalry. 
For  I  do  think  the  original  myth  very  horrid.  .  .  . 

The  weather  you  describe  is  glorious  for  January.  Here  we  are 
less  flourishing,  though  to-day  I  took  a  good  cold  dry  and  for  me 
rather  long  walk.  My  errand  was  to  see  my  dear  old  nurse  Stevens 
who  is  ill  and  very  aged  and  weak  now,  and  to  take  her  a  present 
from  Mamma.  Of  course,  she  was  much  besides  being  my  nurse ; 
but  she  is  always  thai  to  me  because  she  was  so  kind  in  my  great 
illness.  .  .  . 

Our  dearest  Mother  continues  on  the  whole  much  as  when  last  I 
wrote.  Day  after  day  the  cold  detains  her  indoors,  but  we 
trot  a  little  about  the  drawing-room,  which  is  better  than 
nothing.  .  .  . 

It  is  getting  towards  10  o'clock,  my  latest  ordinary  bedtime.  .  . 


i886— TO    LUCY   ROSSETTI  151 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Vetitnor. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[1886 — 1  January. \ 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  hope  when  this  reaches  you  my  dear  OHve  and  Mary 
will  be  better  or  well,  and  Arthur  and  Helen  quite  off  the  sick 
list.  .  .  . 

Mamma  and  our  Aunts  unite  with  me  in  love  to  you  and  the 
children,  and  especially  to  our  old  crony  William.  I  wonder  whether 
he  will  bring  home  any  marine  trophies  from  what  I  fancy  a  good 
shore  for  object-hunting.  Do  any  of  his  children  inherit  his  and  my 
taste  for  such  quests  ?  To  this  day  I  think  I  could  plod  indefinitely 
along  shingle  with  my  eyes  pretty  well  glued  to  the  ground.  .  .  . 

To  Lucy  Rossetti,   Vcntnor. 

[The  opening  of  this  letter  refers  to  a  raffle  which  was  being  got 
up  by  Madox  Brown  for  the  benefit  of  the  widow  and  daughter  of 
an  old  friend  of  his,  Daniel  Casey.  This  was  a  painter  whom  Brown 
had  known  in  Paris  at  some  such  remote  date  as  1 843 — a  Frenchman 
of  Irish  extraction.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,   W.C. 

[16  February  iSS6.] 

My  dear  Lucy, 

Thank  you  very  truly  for  sending  me  a  notice  which  has 
set  me  hankering  after  a  guinea  ticket, — but  sad  and  sober  sense 
dictates  that  such  expensive  luxuries  are  not  for  me  just  now.  Much 
more  important  than  the  chance  of  Mr.  Casey's  or  even  of  your 
Father's  work  would  be  the  putting  myself  into  sympathy  with  that 
same  kind  Father  of  yours  and  securing  a  share  in  his  good  deed : 
but  pray  believe  in  my  bodiless  sympathy  and  good  will  for  the 
widow  and  daughter.  We  poets  (!)  judging  by  myself  are  not  an 
opulent  race.  .  .  . 

I  am  heartily  glad  you  have  not  been  in  London  this  winter,  which 
has  been  severe  and  trying,  though  for  the  present  frost  has  vanished. 


152  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

It  is  just  as  well  too  that  you  escaped  the  alarm  of  the  riots,  which 
were  serious  enough  as  they  were,  and  alarmed  one  lest  they  should 
become  yet  more  so.  But,  however  one  may  deplore  lawlessness, 
it  is  heart-sickening  to  think  of  the  terrible  want  of  work  and  want 
of  all  things  at  our  very  doors, — we  so  comfortable.  Emigration 
is  the  only  adequate  remedy  which  presents  itself  to  my  imagination  : 
and  that,  of  course,  may  leave  the  mother  country  to  die  of  inanition 
a  stage  further  on  :  yet  no  one  can  call  upon  people  to  starve  to-day 
lest  England  should  prove  powerless  to  hold  her  own  to-morrow. 
You  see,  my  politics  are  not  very  intricate.  .  .  . 

I  like  much  the  pretty  photograph  William  brought  me,  and  I  like 
the  looks  of  your  independent  and  well-placed  residence.  How  fine 
a  storm  would  be  from  your  windows  :  yet  one  has  no  heart  to  wish 
for  a  storm  whilst  "  men  must  work  and  women  must  weep." 

To-morrow  is  our  dear  Maria's  birthday, — my  irreplaceable  sister 
and  friend. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,    Ventnor. 

[Christina  here  refers  to  the  accident — a  fall  in  her  room^ — which 
began  the  final  illness  of  our  Mother. — "Olive's  Theseus^'  was  a 
small  drama  (of  a  kind)  written  by  our  small  Olive,  then  aged  ten. — 
"Your  father's  labour  of  love"  is  the  bust-medallion  of  Dante 
Rossetti  now  erected,  in  connection  with  a  drinking-fountain,  in  front 
of  his  house,  i6  Cheyne  Walk.] 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

\  March  [1886]. 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

Your  kind  letter  would  have  been  answered  yesterday,  but 
you  don't  know — or  you  can  very  well  believe— how  hurried  and 
engrossed  I  am.  Dearest  Mamma  suffers  much  from  the  prolonged 
pain  of  her  fall,  and  is  very  weak :  I  am  full  of  anxiety,  yet  Mr. 
Stewart  has  said  nothing  to  extinguish  hope.  What  I  most  dread  is 
the  exhaustion  of  her  strength,  so  frail  at  85  :  but  all  my  dread  is 
for  myself,  not  (thank  God)  for  her.  She  sends  love  to  you  and 
to  all  four  in  which  I  join  :  dear  Olive's  Theseus  has  reached  us 
safely,  but  I  am  not  sure  when  I  can  read  it  aloud  to  my  patient, — 


i886— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  153 

yet  very  likely  she  will  enjoy  listening  to  it  this  very  day.  Ah 
will  she  ever  see  your  Father's  labour  of  love  erected  at  Chelsea? 
William  drops  in  daily,  and  is  very  good  and  dear  and  welcome.  .  .  . 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Ventnor. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

[1886—?  5  March.\ 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

Love   responds   to   love :    accept   my  dear   Mother's   and 
mine,  and  pray  pass  on  their  full  share  to  your  dear  four. 

I  am  scarcely  daring  to  be  hopeful,  yet  what  change  has  taken 
place  appears  to  be  in  the  direction  of  recovery.  But  weakness  at 
85, — you  can  well  imagine  what  are  my  fears  and  my  feelings. 
And  indeed  I  am  not  venturing  to  fix  my  wishes  on  either  result :  I 
see  my  dearest  Mother  suffer  much,  though  very  patiently ;  I  could 
not  wish  her  to  suffer  on  indefinitely  for  my  own  selfish  sake.  God's 
Will  be  done. 

We  do  hope  the  painful  attack  of  indisposition  you  were  suffering 
from  when  you  wrote  will  not  be  of  long  duration.  .  .  . 

I  had  one  pleasant  glimpse  of  your  Father. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Ventnor. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,   W.C. 

2  ^/r// [1886]. 

My  DEAR  Lucy, 

I  have  no  news  about  dearest  Mamma  for  you, — doubtless 
William  tells  you  of  what  little  gradual  change  appears.  She  does 
not  cease  to  hear  about  yo2ir  health  with  interest,  and  to  think  of 
you  with  every  earnest  good  wish  for  you  and  yours.  .  .  . 

Our  Nurse  Annie  Jackson  is  a  perfect  friend  and  treasure  in  our 
sore  need.  .  .  . 

Cathy  is  truly  kind  in  calling  and  sending  to  enquire,  and  to-day 
in  offering  help — but  alas  !  help  is  not  in  question :  Mrs.  Brown 
joins  her  in  kind  interest.  This  morning  I  received  a  very  pleasant 
letter  from  your  Father  in  answer  to  my  expression  of  admiration 
of  his  "  DGR  "  photograph. 


154  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Mamma's  love  to  you,  for  I  have  just  spoken  to  her.  Opposite 
her  bed  stands  a  fine  bunch  of  daffodils  looking  quite  cheerful. 

P. 8.  I  was  forgetting  to  tell  you  that  poor  Aunt  Charlotte  is  very 
unwell  again,  and  is  pretty  well  laid  up.  I  suppose  she  took  cold, 
colds  being  so  prevalent ;  and  now  her  strength  is  at  so  low  an  ebb 
that  she  too  must  have  a  nurse  : — and  only  think  !  I  have  just 
engaged  Mrs.  Abrey  who  nursed  Gabriel,  to  come  to  her  this  even- 
ing. I  tried  in  vain  for  an  All  Saints  nurse,  but  we  are  particularly 
fortunate  in  securing  our  good  Mrs.  Abrey.  Aunt  Eliza  bears  up 
well. 

To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Vetitnor. 

[Our  Mother  died  peacefully  on  8  April  i886,  in  the  presence  of 
Christina  and  myself.  As  Dante  Gabriel  had  died  on  g  April  1882, 
the  interval  between  the  two  deaths  was  exactly  four  years.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

19  April  [1SS6]. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

It  has  become  a  different  world  since  last  I  wrote  to  you. 
Yet  I  rejoice  that  it  is  I  who  am  left  in  the  grief  of  this  separation, 
and  not  my  dearest  Mother. 

Please  thank  your  dear  children  one  by  one  for  each  instance  of 
their  love  towards  either  of  us.  And  my  thanks  and  love  to  yourself, 
dear  Lucy.  Grateful  thanks  too  for  the  pretty  wreaths  you  and  they 
sent.  Some  Italian  flowers,  sent  by  one  who  cannot  have  known  of 
my  loss,  arrived  just  in  time  to  strew  in  the  coffin  before  it  was 
closed.  I  am  glad  Cathy  and  Mr.  Hueffer  were  with  us  in  church 
and  at  the  grave.  .  .  . 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Ventnor. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

21  April  1886. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  am  glad  to  believe  that  a  letter  of  mine  crossed  your 
sisterly  one,  for  this  is  the  last  moment  at  which  I  could  wish  to 
loosen  the  ties  which  remain  to  me.     Love  and  thanks  to  you,  my 


i886— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  155 

dear  Sister,  for  all  you  have  felt  and  expressed  for  us  :  I  can  still  say 
"  us  "  and  look  forward  to  the  end  of  our  separation.  But  please  do 
not  fancy  me  bearing  this  bitter  trial  so  much  better  than  I  really  am 
bearing  it.  It  has  been  a  comfort  to  see  William,  though  now  I  rejoice 
that  he  is  going  to  have  a  reviving  time  at  Ventnor.  Most  brotherly 
he  has  been,  taking  trouble  in  my  stead  and  helping  me  along. 
I  am  of  course  still  in  the  midst  of  business,  as  even  a  very  small 
executorship  involves  anxious  effort.  As  yet  I  do  not  know  exactly 
what  my  means  are  likely  to  amount  to,  but  I  am  sure  they  will 
amply  suffice  :  soon,  of  course,  I  expect  to  have  all  made  out.  Did 
William  tell  you  of  a  conversation  we  had? — when  I  said  that  I 
hoped  finally  to  leave  at  least  as  much  as  ;j£"2ooo  to  him,  I  have 
long  felt  in  his  debt  for  all  those  years  when  his  munificent  affection 
provided  me  with  a  most  ungrudged  home,  and  he  and  we  all  think 
that,  if  we  loosely  compute  this  debt  as  for  20  years  at  ;^ioo  a  year, 
I  shall  pay  back  the  money  in  full ;  the  love  can  only  be  repaid  in 
kind, — he,  moreover,  never  till  I  talked  to  him  viewed  it  as  money- 
indebtedness.  Now  I  particularly  want  you  to  know  all  this, 
because,  if  I  were  so  unhappy  as  to  lose  my  dear  William,  I  should 
(so  far  as  I  foresee  at  present)  feel  that  his  claim  lapses  in  full  to  your- 
self or  to  the  children.  Please  be  sure  of  this,  according  to  my 
present  power  of  foreseeing.  Altogether  I  expect  to  have  a  good 
deal  more  than  ^2000,  but  this  is  the  special  sum  I  propose  for  the 
given  purpose. 

Sympathy  has  flowed  in  from  very  different  quarters,  and  I  like  to 
see  the  love  and  high  honour  in  which  my  dearest  Mother  was  held. 
High  and  low  have  shown  kindness.  After  speaking  separately 
to  each  of  my  Aunts  I  find  it  is  the  preference  of  both  that  I 
should  continue  to  make  my  home  with  them,  and  thus  it  is 
settled. 

Pray  give  my  love  to  Olive,  Arthur,  Helen,  Mary,  with  joy  to  dear 
Arthur  on  his  recovery,  and  a  birthday  kiss  to  aged  Mary  :  what  a 
beautiful  thing  to  be  no  more  than  5  years  old  !  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[I  have  forgotten  the  details  about  All  Saints  Home  and  the  ;^5oo. 
The  affair   was   evidently   connected   with   my   mother's   will,  and 


156  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

probably,  more  or  less,  with  Maria,  though  deceased  as  far  back  as 
1876.  My  mother  and  I  had  been  joint  legatees  under  Dante  Gabriel's 
will :  therefore  my  mother  had  a  half  share  in  his  drawings  &c.  left 
unsold — though  these  remained  with  me  as  being  practically  mine. 
As  Christina  inherited  from  my  mother,  the  half  share  had  now 
become  hers,  and  she  hereby  relinquishes  it.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[18  May  1 885.] 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  On  Saturday  I  attended  by  appointment  at  Mr. 
Turner's  Office,  took  the  required  affidavit,  and  understood  that  now 
all  is  well  forward  for  the  actual  proving  of  the  will  and  rendering 
available  of  the  property  :  so  ere  long  I  hope  both  to  pay  you  your 
;^ioo  legacy  and  to  transfer  to  you,  Lucy,  Olive,  what  appertains 
to  each, — besides  honouring  the  claims  of  the  few  other  claimants. 
After  very  careful  consideration  and  discussion  with  Mr.  Turner  I 
have  sworn  the  property  under  ^6000,  and  to  meet  expenses  I  am 
going  to  sell  out  Bank  stock  3  per  cents  :  these  at  the  moment  of 
valuation  stood,  I  think,  at  about  99^.  Yesterday  I  called  at  the  All 
Saints  Home  to  reconnoitre,  but  found  that  the  Revd.  Mother  is 
not  expected  there  before  next  Monday  or  Tuesday :  so  if  we  act 
at  once  I  shall  leave  ;^5oo  untouched  for  her  to  decide  about ; 
it  can  be  either  transferred  or  sold  out  afterwards  as  she  shall 
decide. 

I  take  this  opportunity  of  relinquishing  to  you  any  possible  share 
I  may  have  in  the  things  left  over  from  Gabriel's  sale,  including 
pictures,  drawings  &c.,  if  there  are  any.  You  know  the  class  of 
goods  I  mean.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Christina  had  gone  to  stay  awhile  at  Brighton,  and  she  had 
offered  to  take  our  daughter  Olivia  with  her — to  which  we  gladly 
assented.  I  don't  think  that  Olivia  was  at  this  time,  or  has  ever 
become,  of  "a  jealous  disposition."  Jealousy  did  not  run  in 
the  Rossetti  race — except  indeed  in  Maria  in  her  merely  childish 
years.] 


i886— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  157 


17   BRUNSWICK   ROAD,    BRIGHTON. 

20  All^qtiSt  1886. 

My  dear  William, 

How  very  kindly  you  think  of  me.  There  have  been  no 
more  fits  of  choking,  and  I  hope  there  may  be  no  more.  My  head- 
aches are  very  much  reUeved.  What  you  report  of  OUve's  cheerful- 
ness inspirits  me,  I  do  assure  you,  and  at  present  I  see  no  reason 
why  (you  and  Lucy  permitting)  we  should  not  stay  out  4  weeks  here 
together  as  I  mentally  proposed  before  starting.  Olive  looks  very 
well,  and  even  my  anxious  eye  is  satisfied.  I  think  her  a  very  nice 
child,  docile  and  independent,  which  is  a  very  fine  combination  of 
quaUties.  In  face  I  think  her  a  good  deal  like  Lucy.  She  is  full  of 
intelligence.  I  cannot  give  any  adequate  reason  for  the  doubt,  yet  I 
feel  in  doubt  whether  she  has  not  some  tendency  towards  a  jealous 
disposition.  So  far  as  I  know,  every  one  here  likes  her ;  one  or  two 
do,  certainly.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[My  "graphic  prefix"  was  the  preface  which  I  wrote  to  the  Collected 
Works  of  Dante  Rossetti.  Christina  was  right  as  to  the  point  she 
adverted  to,  and  I  altered  my  text.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[6  October  1886.] 

My  dear  William, 

Musing  on  your  graphic  prefix,  a  point  strikes  me  which  I 
suggest  with  a  suspicion  that  either — or  both — of  two  weak  points 
will  annul  it.  Either  you  will  not  agree  with  me,  or  I  shall  bring  my 
wares  too  late  to  market. 

In  recording  Gabriel's  steady  but  iindemonstrative  affection  for  his 
family,  don't  you  think  it  would  be  just  to  except  Mamma  from  the 
"  undemonstrative  "  ness  ?  I  am  well  aware  (as  I  believe)  that  long 
periods  of  silence  and  non-appearance  took  place :  yet  on  the  whole 
I  should  say  that  beyond  all  possibility  of  dispute  he  petted  and 
worshipped  our  Mother  with  exuberant  fondness. 


158  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

But,  dropping  this  detail,  what  an  interesting  prefix  it  is :  I  hope 
it  will  rank  as  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  new  edition. 

Nothing  and  nobody  has  occurred  since  we  met.  If  the  weather 
holds  up,  perhaps  I  may  achieve  my  call  "  de  rigueur  "  on  Lucy  this 
morning. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  dedication  which   I  prefixed  to  Dante  Rossetti's   Collected 
Works  was  to  the  memory  of  our  mother.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

\\'>y  January  1887.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thank  you  for  the  handsome  D.G.R.  I  have  returned  to 
your  delightful  prefix  with  a  renewal  of  pleasure,  and  recognize  the 
blue-grey  eyes  and  the  fondness  for  our  Mother.  Your  Dedication 
took  me  by  surprise  and  charms  me.  Amongst  the  notes  too  there 
are  points  of  particular  interest. 

Mr.  Turner  was  here  this  morning,  and  at  last  I  am  going  to 
remake  my  will.  Perhaps  you  may  like  to  know  about  it  when  we 
meet :  you  are  to  be  my  sole  legatee,  but  with  some  temporarily 
modifying  memoranda,  subject  however  to  your  convenience.  We 
can  talk  it  all  over  if  you  like  in  a  few  minutes. 

There  are  various  trifles  waiting  to  be  shown  you. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  San  Revw. 

[My  wife,  with  the  two  elder  children,  had  now  gone  to  San 
Remo  for  health's  sake  :  I  after  a  while  joined  them. — Mr.  W.  J. 
Knewstub  had  studied  painting  under  my  brother's  guidance  towards 
1863,  and  produced  several  good  works,  praiseworthy  more  especially 
for  colour.  He  was  now  in  Manchester,  assisting  Madox  Brown  in 
extensive  cartoons  &c.  for  the  decoration  of  an  exhibition-building 
in  celebration  of  Queen  Victoria's  jubilee.  He  became  the  father- 
in-law  of  two  fine  artists,  Mr.  William  Rothenstein  and  Mr.  William 
Orpen,  and  died  in  1906.] 


i887— TO   WILLIAM   ROSSETTI  159 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,   W.C. 

2$Ja7niary  [1887]. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  have  a  letter  and  a  card  and  a  pretty  little  plant  "  for 
thought "  to  thank  you  for.  The  Uttle  heath  looks  charming  planted, 
and  promises  I  hope  to  live  some  time  in  spite  of  having  exchanged 
Italy  for  England.  You  I  trust  thrive  through  having  exchanged 
England  for  Italy.  And  I  fancy  this  letter  may  not  be  long  in  your 
hands  before  William  himself  is  with  you,  for  I  saw  him  yesterday 
and  he  proposes  starting  to-morrow.  A  great  slice  of  my  heart 
travels  about  with  him  now,  he  being  the  only  one  of  his  own 
standing  left  to  me.  .  .  . 

Since  the  new  edition  came  out  {D.G.R.)  I  have  re-read  Poor 
Henry.  What  a  fine  thing  it  is,  well  worthy  of  publication ;  poor 
Gabriel  mentioned  it  when  we  were  together  at  Birchington  :  I  am 
glad  it  at  last  has  seen  the  light.  William's  preface  too  and  his 
notes  abound  in  interest,  especially  perhaps  the  former. 

The  news  that  Mr.  Knewstub  has  been  working  under  your 
Father  is  superexcellent. 


To  William  Rossetti,  San  Remo. 

[The  phrase  "Are  you  still  vagheggiando  Vasto"  means  "  Are  you 
still  thinking  with  pleasure  of  going  to  Vasto,"  our  father's  native 
city.  I  had  some  such  vague  intention  when  I  left  London  for  San 
Remo  :  but  neither  then  nor  at  any  subsequent  date  did  it  get 
fulfilled.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,   W.C. 

5  Febrtidry  18S7. 

My  dear  William, 

Gracious  was  the  moment  when  I  discovered  your  P.S.  at 
foot  of  Olive's  letter.  To  her  and  to  Arthur  thanks,  and  to  Lucy 
at  their  head  love.  It  sounds  earthly-paradise-like,  your  sketch  of 
San  Remo :  but  even  there  it  would  behove  me  to  feel,  "  Arise  ye 
and  depart,  for  this  is  not  your  rest."     I  am  glad  you  have  more 


i6o  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

happy  and  endeared  ties  than  I  have, — I  am  glad,  as  so  it  is  : 
otherwise  I  should  be  afraid  of  wishing  it  for  you  any  more  than  for 
myself,  and  for  myself  I  do  not  wish  it.  .  .  . 

And  now,  if  an  old  sister  is  worth  triumphing  over,  you  may 
triumph  over  me.  For,  after  declining  your  company  to  San  Remo 
which  might  I  dare  say  have  answered  far  better,  I  find  myself 
despatched  to  Torquay  !  A  month  there  is  laid  down,  and  perhaps 
in  the  course  of  the  coming  week  I  may  betake  myself  thither. 
My  doctor  finds  me  very  weak,  and  I  see  no  way  of  evading  his 
dicta  (let  us  hope  that  termination  is  correct :  I  mean  plural).  Of 
course  I  will  send  you  my  address  when  I  have  one.  Except 
general  standing  impediments  and  distaste,  there  is  nothing  now  to 
keep  me  here  as  my  will  was  finished  off  yesterday. 

I  hope  by  the  time  you  are  returning  that  neither  snow  nor  floods 
will  impede  your  path.  Are  you  still  vagheggiando  Vasto  ?  No,  I 
suspect. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Sari  Remo. 

[*'  Una  specolazione  da  pezzente  "  means  "  a  pauper-like  specula- 
tion."] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   LONDON,   W.C. 

10  February  1SS7. 

My  dear  William, 

Share  my  warm  thanks  and  love  with  Lucy  for  the  great 
kindness  of  your  telegram  received  yesterday  afternoon.  I  was  then 
not  sure  of  my  Torquay  prospects,  but  this  morning  brings  me  word 
that  I  have  secured  for  next  Tuesday  2  rooms  at  Mrs.  Harvey's — 

2  Beechwood 
Abbey  Road 

Torquay — 

by  which  arrangement  I  judge  it  prudent  to  abide  despite  the 
engaging  charms  of  San  Remo.  I  heard  of  these  rooms  through 
two  persons,  and  they  woo  me  to  try  them  by  being  only  a  guinea  a 
week :  if  uncomfortable  I  can  shift  quarters,  but  I  am  assured  of 
their  respectability.  I  think  of  taking  a  month's  return  ticket,  as  I  am 
desired  by  my  doctor  to  stay  a  month, — not  longer,  I  hope,  yet  at  the 


i887— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  i6i 

worst  one  can  get  an  extension  of  ticket.  So  you  see  I  am  armed 
at  all  points  with  reasons  and  resolutions.  For  one  thing,  I  regret 
leaving  behind  me  the  rather  amusing  oversight  of  your  correspond- 
ence :  English  postage  costing  a  minimum,  if  you  did  not  mind  the 
delay  the  whole  batch  might  follow  me  to  Torquay  where  I  would 
deal  with  it  as  heretofore  :  but  this  I  foresee  you  will  brand  as  "  una 
specolazione  da  pezzente  ! " 

Perhaps  my  mirthful  style  has  already  suggested  to  you  that  your 
"  youngest  sister  looking  dim  and  grim  with  dismal  ways  "  is  feeling 
better.  Indeed  I  am  :  the  last  prescription,  which  I  continue  taking 
diligently,  seems  quite  to  the  point,  and  fortifies  my  adherence  to  Sir 
William  Jenner.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Niles  (Roberts,  Boston)  tells  me  that  17/9  due  to  tne  is 
appended  to  his  cheque  to  you  :  I  dare  say  you  see  that  so  it  is. 
Poor  Time  Flies  has  failed  in  their  hands,  but  perhaps  it  is  doing 
something  at  the  S.P.C.K.'s  New  York  depot.  Aunt  Eliza's  love 
to  all,  and  I  invent  Aunt  Charlotte's  who  is  upstairs :  both  tolerably 
well. 

To  William  Rossetti,  San  Remo. 

[It  seems  that  Christina  had  been  sending  some  snowdrops  to  my 
wife.  The  "  never-to-be-forgotten  drawing  "  was  one  which  the  latter 
had  made  in  1883  of  our  infant  Michael  in  death. — Harriett  was  a 
servant  in  the  Torrington  Square  house.] 

2   BEECHWOOD,   ABBEY   ROAD,   TORQUAY. 

21  February  1887. 

My  dear  William, 

Our  last  letters  crossed,  as  I  hope  you  perceived  :  otherwise 
what  could  possess  me  not  to  respond  to  such  expression  of  affectionate 
kindness  from  Lucy  and  you  ?  My  love  to  her,  flowing  downward 
to  Olive  and  Arthur.  As  to  my  precious  health,  I  am  now  at  a  very 
tolerable  level,  against  which  if  aught  is  to  be  alleged  it  is  that  I 
may  perhaps  be  further  defined  as  at  a  standstill.  But  I  continue 
medicine,  diet,  prudence,  and  am  not  aware  of  any  great  outrage 
I  am  perpetrating  against  (that  modernism)  hygiene.  .  .  .  The 
weather  is  cold,  but  encouraged  by  sunshine  I  sat  out  a  long  time 


i62  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

to-day  mostly  reading.  I  don't  know  whether  you  have  been  at 
Torquay ;  it  is  a  noble  mass  of  hill,  rock,  vegetation ;  but  the  sea 
is  so  land-locked  and  pier-locked  (though  the  piers  are  quite  small) 
as  to  look  very  like  a  lake,  while  my  delight  is  a  boundless  expanse. 
However,  the  beauty  is  very  great. 

Alas  !  my  snowdrops  were  merely  some  given  me  by  Harriett, 
though  in  the  course  of  the  transaction  I  recollected  Lucy's  in  one 
never-to-be-forgotten  drawing. 

Very  fair  news  reaches  me  from  home,  and  I  have  the  gratification 
of  believing  myself  missed. 

I  like  you  revelling  in  lizard-like  laziness  !  Never  break  the  spell 
for  me.  .  .  . 

So  even  San  Remo  has  had  severe  cold.  I  may  doubly  content 
myself  and  be  thankful  here ;  but  I  hope  you  are  again  warm  and 
comfortable,  or  at  least  comparatively  so.  "  Cold  hand,  warm 
heart,"  is  not  very  far  from  my  plight  at  this  moment. 


To  William  Rossetti,  San  Remo. 

[This  letter  was  consequent  on  the  very  severe  and  wide-extended 
earthquake  which  took  place  on  the  Riviera,  including  San  Remo, 
on  25  February  1887.  Christina  had  telegraphed  to  me  as  soon  as 
she  saw  a  newspaper-notice  of  the  earthquake,  and  I  telegraphed  and 
wrote  to  her  in  return.] 


2   BEECHWOOD,    ABBEY    ROAD,    TORQUAY. 

[28  February  1887.] 

Mv    DEAREST   WiLLIAM, 

Your  blessed  telegram  yesterday  afternoon  between  5  and 
6  o'clock,  and  your  (and  Olivia's)  letter  to  breakfast  this  morning, 
have  eased  me  of  a  burden.  I  gave  in  my  telegram  at  the  P.O. 
before  10  a.m.  on  Friday,  and  it  seemed  long  indeed  before  the 
reply  set  me  at  rest.  My  love  to  Lucy  who  I  hope  is  not  suffering 
from  shock  and  makeshift  quarters,  and  to  Olivia,  and  to  Arthur 
whose  attack  of  pain  and  illness  I  hear  of  with  regret, — I  wonder 
whether  he  is  half  such  a  coward  as  I  am  at  the  dentist's.  .  .  . 
What  an  awful  awestriking  experience  an  earthquake  must  be.  .  .  . 


i8S7— TO    LUCY   ROSSETTI  163 

I  cannot  help  wishing  that  you  and  yours  may  already  be  on  the 
homeward  road.  Of  course,  no  more  shocks  may  ensue,  but  who 
can  feel  even  ordinarily  secure  at  San  Remo  after  what  has 
happened  ?  .  .  . 

Please  tell  Olive  that  I  look  forward  with  wonder  and  admiration 
to  the  Trap-door  Spider's  nest,  but  that  I  only  guess  "a  moUa"  to 
signify  with  a  spring:  she  must  instruct  me  when  I  see  her 
treasure. 

I  am  doing  very  well  in  health,  not  at  all  retrograding.  Yet 
perhaps  I  may  claim  to  have  made  a  10  years'  stride  both  as  to 
looks  and  feelings  in  these  last  weeks.  If  so,  not  by  any  means  to 
be  regretted.  To-day  I  enjoyed  a  drive,  the  morning  being  sunny 
and  lovely  though  not  (barring  sunshine)  warm.  I  fully  contemplate 
returning  home  at  the  completion  of  my  4  weeks  (March  15),  as  I 
know  I  am  wanted  and  shall  be  welcomed  there. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Dijon. 

[Isabella  (Mrs.  Cole)  was  at  this  time  residing  at  or  near  Bordi- 
ghera. — The  P.S.  about  "  la  Turquie "  may  call  for  a  word  of 
comment.  Some  one — it  may  have  been  our  ex-nursery  governess 
Madame  Laffey — hearing  lately  that  Christina  was  going  to  Torquay, 
supposed  that  she  was  going  to  la  Turquie,  and  the  rumour  had 
got  round  to  Lucy  at  Dijon.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

21  March  1SS7. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

So  /  was  in  your  kind  thoughts  at  such  a  moment !  I  hope 
never  to  forget  it  with  sisterly  love  and  gratitude.  I  fully  agree  with  you 
that  it  is  impossible  to  pass  through  so  awful  an  experience  without 
deep  impressions  :  the  suspense  I  was  in  on  all  your  accounts  made 
its  impression  on  me  and  sent  me  to  prayer.  .  .  .  What  alarming 
prognostics  till  the  end  of  this  year  are  published  about  earth- 
quakes on  the  Riviera  :  I  hope  Isabella  and  her  husband  will  be 
preserved. 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  William  looking  well,  for  he  has 


i64  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

called  here  since  my  return  last  Tuesday.  Torquay  and  all  that  went 
with  it  have  greatly  revived  me,  so  that  now  I  feel  better  able  to  bear 
the  wear  and  tear  of  daily  life.  And  really  I  am  glad  to  be  settled 
at  home  again  (though  the  break  was  refreshing),  for  I  feel  that  here 
is  my  proper  place.  It  will  be  a  bright  day  when  you  can  settle  at 
home  too,  but  anything  but  bright  would  it  be  if  a  premature  return 
were  to  undo  the  good  so  anxiously  wrought  out.  No, — better  that 
we  should  know  you  are  well  at  Dijon  or  at  Bournemouth  than  ill 
and  suffering  in  London.  .  .  . 

I  am  much  amused  at  the  rumour  that  I  was  starting  for  "la 
Turquie." 

To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

[As  I  have  said  elsewhere,  the  opinions  of  my  wife  and  myself  on 
matters  of  religion  were  not  such  as  to  induce  us  to  have  any  of  our 
children  baptized.  In  one  instance — that  of  the  infant  Michael  who 
died  in  18S3 — Christina,  when  he  was  visibly  in  danger,  besought 
and  obtained  my  permission  to  baptize  him  with  her  own  hand — 
which  she  did.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[Summer  1SS7?] 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

I  have  been  thinking  over  something  that  passed  yesterday, 
and,  as  I  am  sure  of  my  own  affectionate  feeling,  I  confidently  appeal 
to  yours. 

We  were  talking  about  your  "  happy  "  children.  And  so  I  think 
them  in  the  daily  home-matters.  But  I  cannot  pointedly  use  that 
word  happy  without  meaning  something  beyond  the  present  life. 
And  baptism  (where  attainable)  is  the  sole  door  I  know  of  whereby 
entrance  is  promised  into  the  happiness  which  eye  has  not  seen  nor 
ear  heard  neither  hath  heart  of  man  conceived.  I  now  live  so 
much  in  the  other  world — or  at  least  I  ought  to  do  so,  having 
my  chief  Treasure  there — that  please  do  not  take  offence  at  what  I 
say.  .  .  . 

I  constantly  pray  for  you  and  William  and  my  dear  nephew  and 
nieces.  Yet  I  feel  and  acknowledge  that  every  one  of  you  is  setting 
or  has  set  me  an  example. 


i888— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  165 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[At  this  time  Eliza  Polidori  possessed  a  pencil-head  of  my  brother 
done  by  himself,  and  I  suppose  some  other  drawings  of  his  not  of 
any  leading  importance.  I  was  not  so  flush  of  money  as  to  try  to 
secure  any  of  them.  The  head  of  Rossetti,  done  when  he  was  about 
nineteen  with  a  mass  of  long  hair,  was  later  on  sold  by  Eliza  to  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery.] 

30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    W.C. 

8  May  1888. 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Our  Aunts  go  on  nicely  from  day  to  day.  If  ever  you 
should  feel  disposed  to  make  a  bid  for  any  of  the  Gabriel  portraits 
which  belong  to  Aunt  Eliza,  I  think  you  would  have  a  chance  of 
success.  But  this  I  merely  remark  on  my  own  account,  without  any 
authority  :  and  please  bury  the  hint  in  your  own  unshared  inner 
consciousness.  .  .  . 

Perhaps  you  do  so  already, — but  if  not,  and  if  you  would  not 
think  it  wrong,  I  wish  you  would  sometimes  pray  for  me  that  I  may 
not,  after  having  (in  a  sense)  preached  to  others,  be  myself  a  castaway. 
Of  course  you  and  yours  are  very  much  in  my  prayers.  It  seems 
unnatural  to  love  you  so  much  and  yet  never  say  one  word  about 
matters  which  colour  my  life. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Worthmg. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

[1888— ?/z<«£.] 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  am  shocked  and  pained  to  know  what  you  are  suffering. 
For  though  I  never  myself  endured  a  carbuncle  I  have  seen  my 
dearest  Mother  more  than  once  ill  with  one,  and  so  I  know  the  keen 
pain  and  exhaustion  which  ensue.  Dear  Sister,  I  would  help  and 
ease  you  if  I  could.  .  .  .  Meanwhile  I  hope  our  dear  Olive's  recovery 
is  cordial  and  balm  to  you.  .  .  . 

At  last  I  have  seen  Sir  William  Jenner,  and,  whilst  he  admits  the 
impossibility  of  my  leaving  home,  he  insists  on  my  taking  what  care 


i66  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

I  can.  He  did  not  that  I  recollect  use  the  word,  yet  I  think  what 
he  detects  is  a  tendency  to  exhaustion  threatening  some  distinct 
result.  "What  then?  the  sweeter  after  this  stripped  earth  Will 
be  the  shady  rest  of  Paradise ".  Not  that  I  arrogate  to  myself  so 
blessed  an  end :  but  God's  Mercy  to  sinners  is  infinite.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  fancy  that  with  reasonable  prudence  I  may  do  very 
well.  In  fact  I  am  very  much  as  when  last  you  saw  me,  so  do  not 
fancy  me  "  dim  and  grim  "  beyond  my  wont.  .  .  . 

What  funny  proposals  meet  one  !  I  have  just  been  asked  to  go  to 
Weston-super-Mare  next  month  and  take  part  in  distributing  the 
prizes  to  a  large  girls'  school, — of  course,  the  mistress  is  an  acquaint- 
ance.    My  answer  was  an  unflinching  No.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,   Worthing. 

[Mr.  Stewart,  who  constantly  attended  female  members  of  my 
family,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Edward  Stewart,  who  had  now,  owing 
to  an  interesting  train  of  circumstances,  become  engaged  to  Lady 
Philippa  Howard,  daughter  of  a  Duke  of  Norfolk. — After  Christina's 
death  I  took  possession  of  the  "priceless  Singsong"  and  am  not 
likely  to  offer  it  to  any  one  for  any  level  of  price.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  LONDON,    W.C. 

is  Jnly  1888.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  hope  your  own  health  and  those  other  healths  so  dear  to 
you  are  thriving.  .  .  . 

Do  you  recollect  encountering  Dr.  Edward  Stewart  one  day 
at  our  door, — one  disastrous  day  when  no  one  heard  your 
knock  ?  He  is  engaged  to  a  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  with 
apparent  satisfaction  to  both  families.  Lady  Philippa  is  the  bride 
elect,  and  the  marriage  is  talked  of  for  November.  The  only  regret, 
so  far  as  I  know,  on  our  Mr.  Stewart's  part,  is  for  the  difference  of 
religion, — wherein  I  quite  agree  with  him.  Dr.  Stewart  will  continue 
his  medical  practice,  which  intention  accords  with  his  fiancee's  wishes, 
and  they  want  a  house  near  his  father's.  "  Edward  and  Philippa  " 
match  well.  .  .  . 


i888— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  167 

Poor  old  Aunt  Charlotte,  she  is  very  patient, — and  truly  it  needs 
patience  to  lie  peacefully  day  after  day  on  a  helpless  bed.  .  .  . 

In  some  trepidation  I  lately  balanced  my  |  year's  expenses  against 
the  corresponding  receipts,  and  found  a  small  overplus  on  the  right 
side.  So  I  hope  I  have  turned  over  a  new  leaf,  for  I  do  not  think  it 
at  all  satisfactory  to  draw  habitually  on  a  reserve.  .  .  . 

With  an  eye  to  its  future  I  have  concocted  a  priceless  Singsong 
with  marginal  additions.  Indeed,  I  advise  you  not  to  disperse  my 
library  to  the  four  winds  without  careful  inspection  of  copies,  lest  you 
should  squander  unsuspected  treasures  here  and  there. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  relates  to  some  articles  I  wrote  for  The  Magazine  of 
Art  on  Portraits  of  Dante  Rossetti. — The  affair  of  Mr.  Frederick 
Sandys  was  this.  He  produced  towards  1858  a  caricature  of  a 
picture  by  Millais,  representing  the  three  leading  Prseraphaelite 
painters  riding  upon  Ruskin  as  a  donkey.  I  had  said  in  my  article 
that  this  was  done  before  Sandys  had  ever  seen  Dante  Rossetti  :  but 
no  doubt  Christina's  rectification  was  correct. — Mr.  Shields  made  a 
drawing  of  my  brother  lying  in  death,  and  two  replicas  of  it 
followed.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

[I  October  1888.] 
My  dear  William, 

I  have  been  with  great  interest  and  pleasure  through  your 
"Portraits."  You  told  me  you  thought  Part  2  might  still  be 
accessible  to  afterthought :  therefore  I  deferentially  submit  a  note 
or  two. 

1.  I  feel  sure  Gabriel  spoke  of  a  random  visit  of  Sandys,  then  a 
perfect  stranger  to  him,  in  connexion  with  his  getting-up  a  like- 
ness for  the  caricature.  Of  course  the  motive  of  the  call  was 
inferred  :  its  ostensible  aim  was  something  trivial,  say  to  ask  for  an 
address. 

2.  The  larger  Downey  photo,  (my  framed  copy)  is  endorsed  in 
your  handwriting  "taken  Dec.  1862." 

3.  Of  "  male  portraits  "  I  remind  you  of  George  Gordon  Hake,  of 


i68  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

which  a  mention  would  I  suspect  give  pleasure.     A  pen-and-ink  of 
Uncle  Henry  will  not,  I  dare  say,  count. 

4.  Don't  you  think,  both  because  of  Gabriel's  affectionate  feelings 
and  ways  and  because  of  the  grave  protracted  nature  of  his  last 
illness,  it  would  be  judicious  to  add  his  trained  nurse  Mrs.  Abrey  to 
the  list  of  those  present  at  the  last  ? 

5.  A  third  posthumous  portrait  (drawing)  by  Shields  was  given  (?) 
by  him  to  Mr.  Leyland. 

To  William  Rossetti,  Fau. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

10  Decetnber  1SS8. 

My  dear  William, 

I  am  sure  Lucy  will  accept  my  love  and  sanction  my 
writing  to  you  this  time,  as  I  have  written  once  to  her  and  to  you 
not  at  all.  How  kindly  you  both  think  of  me  :  and  I  like  my  little 
pet  Mary's  interest  in  St.  Christina ;  years  and  years  ago  I  was 
disconcerted  by  a  particular  some  one's  announcing  it  as  doubtful 
whether  that  Saint  ever  existed  in  reality.  .  .  . 

Please  do  not  say  "The  grapes  are  sour"  !  Beautiful,  delightful, 
noble,  memorable,  as  is  the  world  you  and  yours  frequent, — /  yet  am 
well  content  in  my  shady  crevice  :  which  crevice  enjoys  the  unique 
advantage  of  being  to  my  certain  knowledge  the  place  assigned  me. 
And  in  my  small  way  I  have  my  small  interests  and  small  pleasures. 
To-day  I  presented  Mr.  Stewart  with  a  Shadoiv  of  Dajite,2in6.  believe 
it  was  received  with  real  gratification.  .  .  . 

Not  long  ago  I  visited  our  good  Maria's  grave  and  found  all  well. 
Later  I  have  been  to  our  dearest  Mother's,  taking  a  few  chrysanthe- 
mums and  pretty  greenery  :  how  she  loved  flowers  !  The  one  bush, 
and  otherwise  blank  little  bed,  are  kept  nice  and  trim,  and  little 
Michael's  was  in  good  order  beside  it.  .  .  . 

Tell  Mary  from  me  that  I  have  heard  of  a  brandy-drinking  cat. 
Poor  puss  was  taken  ill  and  milk  and  brandy  was  tried.  It  rallied. 
When  afterwards  plain  milk  was  offered  it,  it  declined  it  till  brandy 
was  added  !     I  believe  it  is  a  long-haired  pussy. 

Here  I  break  off,  and  this  will  probably  wait  till  the  next  enclosure 
as  assuredly  it  can  well  afford  to  wait. 


i888— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  169 

To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Pau. 

[The  earlier  part  of  this  letter  contains  a  reference  to  Christina's 
habit  of  destroying  letters  as  soon  as  answered.  Had  not  this  been 
her  constant  practice,  something  considerable  might  have  been 
added  to  the  bulk  of  this  volume. — The  affair  of  Birchington  is  not 
wholly  present  to  my  mind  :  I  suppose  some  one  had  said  (and  not 
in  this  instance  only)  that  Dante  Gabriel's  grave  was  not  properly 
attended  to.  I  made  inquiries  more  than  once,  and  could  never  find 
that  any  solid  ground  of  complaint  had  arisen.  However,  I  heed- 
fully  attended  to  whatever  could  be  needed  in  a  minor  way. — "  Olive's 
play "  was  named  Le  Jeune  Bara :  it  applied  to  a  boy-hero  of  the 
great  French  revolution,  and  was  acted  in  our  hotel  just  about 
Christm'as-time — Arthur  personating  Robespierre  (!)whom  the  youth- 
ful authoress  had  not  treated  in  the  "  raw  head  and  bloody  bones  " 
style  of  some  annalists.] 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

13  December  1888. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  got  a  charming  letter  from  William  this  morning,  so 
charming  that  I  felt  tempted  to  swerve  from  my  propriety  and  write 
to  him  twice  running !  But  your  prior  and  welcome  claim  I 
deliberately  honour,  and  indeed  I  should  be  very  short-sighted  to 
forfeit  by  neglect  a  continuance  of  "  your  esteemed  favours."  So 
please  give  him  my  love,  and  tell  him  that  at  present  I  am  reprieving 
letters  from  that  summary  injustice  which  executes  them  forthwith, — 
his  are  really  too  nice.  Also  he  must  know  that  I  have  at  once 
written  to  Dr.  MaccoU  explanatorily,  and  to  Birchington  enquiringly 
— Mr.  Alcock  has  moved  to  a  different  Kentish  Incumbency,  but  I 
feel  no  difficulty  in  addressing  his  successor :  I  hope  the  affair  is  on 
its  way  to  a  satisfactory  issue. 

How  lovely  Pau  must  be,  with  delicious  climate,  leisure,  rest.  .  .  . 
Although  I  had  heard  two  or  three  times  of  Olive's  play,  never  till  this 
morning  did  I  understand  that  it  was  written  in  French  !  Still  more 
impressive  is  the  German  journal  !  !  My  love  to  my  polyglot  niece 
and  the  juniors.  I  hope  the  four  will  not  leave  Italian  out  of  their 
"  curriculum  "  (which  learned  word  I  further  hope  runs  on  all  fours 
in  this  my  sentence).  .  .  . 


I70  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Yesterday  two  ladies  called  to  ask  if  I  was  at  home,  would  not 
come  in,  retired  without  leaving  name  or  message,  returned  with 
a  few  very  beautiful  flowers;  and  vanished  anonymously  as  they 
arrived :  a  funny,  pretty  little  incident.  .  ,  . 


To  Helen  Rossetti  (Angeli),  Pau. 

\_Dccembcr  i8S8.] 

My  dear  Helen, 

I  recollect  how  pretty  Olive's  play  of  Theseus  was,  and  how 
well  the  dresses  were  managed  :  so  I  dare  say  this  second  drama  will 
go  off  nicely  too.  I  wonder  what  part  the  daughter  of  the  "  femme 
Bara"  has  to  play, — for  I  do  not  know  the  plot  of  the  piece.  I 
hope  virtue  triumphs. 

My  love  and  best  wishes  to  you  accompany  Dodo.  There  is  a 
disagreeable  little  girl,  sister  of  the  hero,  whom  I  recommend  you  not 
to  be  like  !  Dodo  himself  I  like,  and  the  ugly  Colonel ;  and  I  think 
perhaps  even  the  disagreeable  girl  improved.  Have  you  ever  noticed 
how  portraits  sometimes  seem  to  look  at  one  ?  I  have.  ^Vhen  you 
read  the  story  through,  you  will  see  what  I  allude  to. 

I  like  to  think  of  you  in  dear  Aunt  Charlotte's  necklace  to-day, 
and  still  better  I  like  that  you  do  not  need  it  to  remind  you  of  her 
who  loves  you.     She  likes  to  listen  to  the  letters  from  Pau. 

To  Mary  Rossetti,  Fau. 

December  1888. 
My  dear  little  Mary, 

I  have  had  at  least  2  of  your  nice  little  letters,  and  only 
now  do  I  answer  them  straight  to  yourself.  But  I  am  a  busy  aunt  in 
a  small  way.  I  am  working  away  at  a  heap  of  cards  and  letters  this 
very  day.  Be  sure,  dear,  of  my  true  love  and  very  best  wishes.  I 
hope  you  like  the  "  Zoo  "  :  I  dare  say  you  will  recognize  some  of  the 
beasts,  and  I  hope  there  are  some  amusing  anecdotes  of  one  or  other 
of  them.  The  spectacled  kitten  and  the  tabby  kitten  are  old  enough 
now  to  be  sent  away,  but  I  do  not  know  when  they  will  be  fetched  : 
soon  I  hope.     I  now  like  the  spectacled  one  better  than  the  other. 


1889— TO    ARTHUR    ROSSETTI  171 

which  is  pretty  but  not  uncommon.     They  might  be  called  Beauty 
and  the  Beast. 

I  dare  say  your  kind  Papa  is  sorry  to  leave  you,  just  as  you  are 
sorry  to  lose  him  :  but  then  how  delightful  it  will  be  to  see  him 
again  ! 

To  Olivia  Rossetti  (Agresti),  Pan. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   LONDON,    W.C. 

14  February  1889. 

My  dear  Olivia, 

I  am  very  glad  you  like  the  Shadow  of  Dante.  It  is  indeed 
a  work  written  from  a  fund  of  knowledge  far  wider  and  deeper  than 
could  be  compressed  into  its  pages,  eloquent  and  elegant,  the  fruit  of 
a  fine  mind  and  a  noble  soul.  And  to  me,  though  not  to  you,  it  is 
graced  with  the  endearing  charm  of  resembling  its  beloved  author 
by  being  full  of  goodness  and  with  no  insignificant  touch  of  great- 
ness. I  do  not  think  that  it  is  sisterly  partiality  which  thus  draws 
her  portrait.  .  .  . 

To  Arthur  Rossetti,  Biarritz. 

[I  have  only  a  vague  recollection  as  to  Christina's  "game"  (of 
cards).  My  children  used  to  play  it  a  little,  but  I  suppose  it  is  now 
totally  defunct.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

26  Fcbriiary  1S89. 

My  DEAR  Arthur, 

I  have  taken  quite  an  extra-large  sheet  of  paper  ;  and  how 
it  is  to  be  filled  who  knows  ?     Not  I,  your  affectionate  aunt. 

However,  my  birthday  love  and  my  earnest  wishes  for  every  bless- 
ing upon  you  supply  quality  if  not  quantity.  I  write  to-day  on 
purpose  that  this  may  reach  you  not  later  than  Thursday,  and  not 
knowing  exactly  how  much  time  I  should  allow.  Your  last  letter 
pleased  me  much,  and  enables  me  to  enjoy  with  you  that  wonderful 
prismatic  foam  which  is  denied  to  my  bodily  eye,  and  that  noble 
rocky  sea  which  I  hope  is  helping  to  fortify  all  my  dear  exiles  for  a 
happy  return  home  some  day.  .  .  . 


172  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

If  you  are  not  tired  of  feline  literature  it  may  please  you  to  know 
that  the  spectacled  kitten  was  pronounced  pretty  (!)  in  its  new  home, 
and  that  it  touches,  and  I  believe  takes  in  its  mouth,  some  white 
mice  (its  fellow  citizens)  without  injuring  them.  I  hope  instinct  will 
not  suddenly  assert  itself  to  the  dire  detriment  of  mousey. 

I  dare  say  you  never  suspected  your  sober  old  aunt  of  having 
invented  a  game.  Years  ago,  however,  I  did :  and  I  send  it  you  in 
case  you  may  like  to  try  it  some  evening  when  even  sunny  Biarritz 
may  be  dim  and  chilly.  I  don't  know  whether  any  one  else  will 
think  it  amusing,  but  I  entertain  a  weakness  for  it.  .  .  . 

We  in  London  are  wintry  at  present. 


To  William  Rossettl 

[This  letter  refers  to  the  proofs  of  my  book  entitled  Danle  Gabriel 
Rossettl  as  JDesigner  and  Writer,  which  (as  indicated  in  the  letter) 
was  not,  and  was  not  intended  to  be,  a  "  biography  "  of  him.  A  very 
few  explanations  must  here  suffice.  Christina's  remark  numbered  i8 
refers  to  James  Collinson's  picture  of  St.  ElizabetJi  of  Hioigary.  i  g, 
H.H.H.  were  the  initials  used  by  Dante  Rossetti  when  he  first 
printed  Sister  Helen.  25,  The  volume  was  Main's  Treasury  of 
English  So?mets  presented  to  our  mother  on  her  eightieth  birthday, 
with  my  brother's  sonnet  on  The  Sonnet  msext&d..  27  refers  to  his 
sonnet  The  Motwchord.  30  refers  to  the  sonnet  A  Superscription. 
31,  The  "boyish  and  youthful  work"  consists  of  sketches  &c.  by 
Dante  Gabriel.  32,  Sorreftti?w  was  a  romantic  tale  of  his  begun 
(not  completed)  towards  1842.  37  relates  to  an  oil-portrait  of  Eliza 
Polidori.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[20  f line  1S89.] 
My  dear  William, 

...  I  fully  concur  in  your  negative  as  to  yourself  writing 
any  biography  of  poor  dear  Gabriel  :  such  a  suggestion  has  once  or 
twice  been  made  to  me,  but  I  hold  inflexibly  aloof.  .  .  . 

18.  Gabriel  spoke  (at  Heme  Bay,  1877)  with  considerable  esteem 
of  the  "  St.  Elizabeth,"  thinking  in  whose  hands  it  might  be. 

19.  At  the  Howitts'  one  evening  Allingham  suggested  "Hear, 
hear,  hear,"  for  "  H.  H.  H." 


iSSg— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  173 

20.  Teodorico  was  consulted  about  some  of  Gabriel's  Italian 
verse.  .  .  . 

24.  Do  you  recollect  the  ready  wit  with  which  Gabriel  suggested 
"  viperous  "  as  rhyme  to  "  Cyprus  "  when  the  matter  was  mooted  ? 

25.  Literally,  /  was  donor  of  the  volume,  and  my  hands  inserted 
the  Sonnet.  .  .  . 

27.  Abandoning  verbal  particulars — don't  you  think  the  point  may 
be  the  common  essence  (so  to  say)  of  all  these  outward  and  inward 
matters? — as  if  one  thread  (the  musical  "  monochord,"  but  not  in  the 
sense  of  any  weight  or  measure)  ran  through  all,  vibrated  through  all? 
Thus  we  should  get  the  sort  of  truth  which  the  blind  man  so  neatly 
conveyed  who  likened  scarlet  to  the  sound  of  the  trumpet.  .  .  . 

30.  I  think  "  Dead  Sea "  suggests  much  more  than  your  note 
recognizes  ;  and  I  conjecture  that  so  it  did  to  Gabriel. 

31.  I  have  our  dear  Mother's  old  hoard  of  boyish  and  youthful 
work  :  do  look  at  it  some  day, — perhaps  a  lost  treasure  or  two  may 
come  to  light. 

32.  —  for  instance,  I  think  the  2  sketches  (duplicates)  I  send  are 
a  last  lingering  trace  of  Sorrentino.  Keep  them  if  you  care  for 
them ;  if  not,  some  day  please  send  them  back.  I  fear  I  do  not 
possess  what  I  seem  clearly  to  remember,  a  drawing  from  S.  in  which 
an  evil  spirit  crouches  down  by  a  balustrade.  .  .  . 

37.  Charlotte  P.  originally,  and  so  far  as  I  know  still.  This 
portrait  was  done,  I  believe,  as  a  substitute  for  a  water-colour  {Kate 
the  Qiiee7i  ?)  first  given  Aunt  C.,  and  then  with  her  consent  (possibly 
after  the  fact)  sold. 

Here,  such  as  they  are,  are  my  annotations  :  some,  you  see,  are 
friendly  remarks  not  relevant  to  the  particular  text. 

What  a  lovely  day.     Love  all  round  your  circle. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  London. 

[I  have  mentioned  elsewhere  this  affair  of  the  corks — /.  e.  slabs  of 
virgin  cork.  Christina,  in  the  autumn  of  1889,  showed  my  wife  a 
printed  leaflet  recommending  the  depositing  of  such  slabs  in  a  room 
as  a  remedy  against  bronchial  or  pneumonial  troubles ;  and  Christina 
gave  her  some  of  those  slabs.  My  wife  used  them  for  many  months 
together,  with  apparent  benefit.] 


174  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

[torrington  square. 

C.  I  October  1889. 
My  dear  Lucy, 

Buoyed  up  by  corks  I  invoke  your  notice  !  Pray  try  my 
corks, — not  that  I  pin  faith  to  them,  but  that  I  trust  they  cannot  do 
harm.  And  please  reject  them  not  after  07ie  night,  but  try  them  for 
at  least  2  consecutive  nights,  such  being  the  suggestion  of  my 
document. 

I  saw  my  dear  delightful  William  yesterday,  and  we  "  vagheggi- 
ammo"  corks  together. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

[15  November  1889.] 
My  dear  William, 

I  enclose  a  legible  letter  from  Lady  Mount-Temple.  .  .  . 
I  am  heartily  glad  (are  not  you?)  at  the  Beata  Beatrix  being 
presented  to  the  nation,  hoping  meanwhile  that  the  Clifford  replica 
is  not  quite  unworthy. 

Now  let  me  pavoneggiare  a  surface  scrap  of  history.  You  once 
scorned  the  idea  of  an  extern  King  of  Spain.  But,  considering  that 
at  the  outset  of  the  War  of  the  Succession  the  then  Duke  of  Savoy 
alleged  a  fourth  contingent  title  to  that  crown,  I  do  think  that  el  Rey 
Don  Amadeo  had  something  to  say  for  himself.  [N.B.  I  am  aware 
of  the  theory  that  vanity  piques  itself  on  one's  weak  point  rather  than 
on  one's  strong  point :  which  may  account  for  my  ostentatious  bit  of 
history.]  I  have  just  finished  three  volumes  of  Marlborough  memoirs 
and  correspondence,  nominally  Duchess  but  involving  much  Duke  : 
the  latter,  in  spite  of  Thackeray's  verdict,  seems  to  me  to  have  a  very 
attractive  side  to  his  character.  .  .  . 

I  have  heard  nothing  of  the  dear  old  Scotts  this  long  time. — My 
love  to  Lucy  and  the  four. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  text  quoted  was  for  the  tombstone  of  Charlotte  Polidori,  who 
had  died  on  8  January. — I  do  not  now  distinctly  recollect  what  was 


iSgo— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  175 

Mr.  Gladstone's  "  list  of  poetesses,"  nor  how  Christina  came  to  know 
anything  about  it — perhaps  through  Lady  Mount-Temple.  As  to 
Mrs.  Webster,  I  have  more  than  once  had  occasion  to  record  Chris- 
tina's very  high  admiration  (fully  shared  by  myself)  of  that  poetess's 
tragedy  The  Sefitence :  this  more  especially,  and  some  other  works  in 
fair  proportion.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE. 

\2.2  January  1890.] 

My  dear  William, 

...  In  case  of  your  proceeding  to  give  orders,  I  remind 
you  that  you  approved  of  the  text  "  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord," 
Ps.  40.  I. 

My  love  to  dear  Lucy,  who  I  hope  was  better  when  you  got  home 
than  my  croak  suggested. 

By-the-by,  did  not  Mr.  Gladstone  omit  from  his  list  of  poetesses 
the  one  name  which  /  incline  to  feel  as  by  far  the  most  formidable  of 
those  known  to  me,  Augusta  Webster  ?  I  did  not  notice  the  omission 
at  the  moment,  but  suspect  it  in  retrospect.  ... 

I  am  writing  with  cold  hands  and  a  cold  nose  ! 


To  William  Rossetti. 

["  A  Kemble  "  (mentioned  at  the  close  of  this  letter)  is,  I  suppose, 
an  autograph  letter  from  the  celebrated  actor  John  Philip  Kemble  to 
my  grandfather.  This  must  have  been  discovered  among  Charlotte 
Polidori's  small  hoards ;  and  I  at  a  later  date  found  half-a-dozen  or 
so  of  similar  letters  in  the  Torrington  Square  house.  They  were  all 
slight  casual  missives.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[26  March  1890.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thankyou  for  "  cemetery  "  news  and  powers,  on  which  I 
hope  to  act  to-morrow  morning  by  going  to  Highgate  if  the  day 
favours.  .  .  . 

I  want  to  correct  a  mis-statement  I  made  some  time  ago.  Some- 
thing you  said  led  me  to  answer  in  a  general  way  that  morning 
prayer  took  me  (about  ?)  half  an  hour, — but  it  did  not  and  does  not 


176  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

take  me  so  long.  This  has  justly  worried  me,  as  the  inaccuracy  told 
in  my  own  favour.   .  .  . 

I  am  looking  through  Aunt  C.'s  journals,  and  have  found  a  small 
— very  small — proportion  of  sentences  to  preserve  :  amongst  these 
some  which  it  would  have  been  a  pity  to  destroy. 

Yesterday  came  to  me  a  rather  pretty  book  from  "  Lewis  Carroll," 
the  Nursery  Alice. — I  have  settled  with  Mr.  Greenwood  who  accepts 
me  as  tenant,  but  of  course  Aunt  Eliza  and  I  go  shares  in  rent  &:c. 
She,  poor  thing,  without  perhaps  being  very  ill,  endures  a  good  deal 
of  distressing  sensation.  I  hope  I  shall  succeed  in  keeping  her 
money-matters  as  well  as  my  own  under  my  administration,  for  if 
not  I  know  not  how  we  shall  be  able  to  go  on.  However,  I  should 
beware  of  being  (as  indeed  I  am)  "  careful  and  troubled." 

I  have  seen  various  friends  lately,  but  not  so  as  to  supply  much 
news.  Have  you  heard  of  a  Daiite  Map  projected  by  a  Miss  Hens- 
man,  who  wanted  my  good  word  to  help  her  towards  a  publisher  ?  I 
wrote  accordingly.  Lately  I  contributed  a  "  Kemble  "  to  the  Wis- 
bech Museum,  and  received  formal  thanks. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  term  "  the  idiotic  I  "  applies  to  a  certain  photograph  of  my 
sister,  taken  in  1877,  which  she  used  to  term  "the  Idiot,"  as  the 
expression  of  the  face  is  not  a  little  vacant.] 


30   TORRINGTON  SQUARE,    W.C. 

[6  December  1890.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  enclose  3  photographs ;  the  idiotic  I  for  contempt  and 
cremation,  the  other  2  for  your  American.  Please  hand  to  Lucy  and 
Helen  their  respective  notes. 

I  forgot  yesterday  that  I  lately  saw  the  George  Hakes,  and  heard 
that  Dr.  Hake  versifies  as  ardently  and  vigorously  as  ever.  Henry 
Hake's  marriage  seems  a  very  happy  one. 

There  is  a  book  too  I  might  have  shown  you,  if  I  had  remembered  : 
Poems  by  Emily  Dickinson,  lately  sent  me  from  America — but 
perhaps  you  know  it.     She  had  (for  she  is   dead)   a   wonderfully 


i8gi— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  177 

Blakean  gift,  but  therewithal  a  startling  recklessness  of  poetic  ways 
and  means. 

I  am  feeling  at  60  very  much  as  I  did  at  59  ! !  though  not  quite 
as  relieved  and  exhilarated  by  the  circumstance  as  when  at  30  I 
gazed  in  the  looking-glass,  and  discerned  no  marked  change  from  29. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    W.C. 

[8  December  i  S90.  ] 

My  dear  William, 

Thinking  of  the  National  Portraits  desideratum,  a  scheme 
occurred  to  me.  I  mentioned  the  affair  to  Aunt  Eliza,  and  find  her 
inclined  to  sell  her  long-haired  portrait  of  Gabriel.  If  no  bid  ensues, 
I  dare  say  she  will  give  it :  but  the  first  overture  is  commercial. 
Are  you  disposed  to  negotiate  the  business  ?  or  will  you  kindly 
furnish  me  with  an  apposite  name  and  address  ?  To  own  the  truth, 
I  am  heartily  glad  of  the  present  prospect,  because  at  one  time  she 
seemed  to  take  a  dislike  to  the  work,  and  proposed  giving  it  to  Mr. 
Turner ! !  but  do  not  mention  this,  as  I  do  not  want  to  spread  so 
queer  an  incident.  .  .  . 

Please  expedite  matters  as  much  as  you  can,  all  delays  being 
harassing  to  our  poor  old  Aunt. 

Loves. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  reference  to  my  "  picture-valuing  "  applies  to  my  having 
undertaken  for  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue,  without  any  remuner- 
ation, the  work  of  estimating  the  value  of  pictures  and  drawings 
falling  liable  to  estate-duty.  As  Christina  hoped,  I  did,  after 
retiring  from  Somerset  House,  continue  this  work,  receiving  some 
fees. — My  Adonais  was  the  edition  of  Shelley's  poem,  with  my  notes 
&c.,  which  had  recently  been  published  by  the  Clarendon  Press, 
Oxford.  My  "  Phantasm  remark "  had  to  do  with  a  cancelled 
passage  of  Adonais^  generally  supposed  to  apply  to  Coleridge :  I 
will  not  here  quote  my  remark,  not  being  sure  that  other  people  would 
find  it  so  amusing  as  Christina  did. — "  The  condensed  DGR  "  must 
have  been  a  recent  re-edition  (from  the  Collected  Works)  of  Dante 
Rossetti's  original  poems. — Christina  expected  to  see  me  on  "the 
2nd   Wednesday  in  April "  because  this  was  one  of  the  evenings 


178  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

when  the  Shelley  Society,  to  which  I  belonged,  met  in  University 
College ;  and,  since  my  removal  to  distant  St.  Edmund's  Terrace,  I 
always  took  my  meal  with  Christina  on  those  evenings. — "  //  Tempo, 
Salterio"  (which  has  been  previously  referred  to),  is  one  of  our 
father's  leading  poetic  volumes,  pubhshed  in  1843.  There  had  been 
an  earlier  and  not  identical  edition,  under  the  title  of  Iddio  e  F  Uomo, 
SalteriOf  1833.] 

30   TOKRINGTON   SQUAKK,    W.C. 

[9  March  iSgi.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  am  so  glad  you  are  better  and  comparatively  well  that  I 
must  not  mind  any  minor  matter.  I  am  glad  too  in  itself  that  you 
are  picture-valuing,  and  I  secretly  indulge  a  hope,  short  of  despair, 
that  you  may  have  a  snug  little  berth  awaiting  you  at  the  moment  of 
superannuation.  .  .  . 

When  you  do  come  you  will  find  that  I  have  been  reading  your 
Adonais  with  much  interest.  Indeed  I  have  gone  the  length  of  a 
scrapfuU  of  notes  which  I  hope  to  pour  out  on  your  devoted  head. 
I  fairly  laughed  all  by  myself  at  your  "  Phantasm  "  remark.  I  have 
read  too  the  condensed  DGR,  but  am  inclined  to  doubt  whether  his 
fatal  chloral  propensity  can  have  dated  so  early  as  you  suggest :  had 
he  then  come  in  contact  with  Mr  Stillman  ?  to  whom  I  understood 
the  introduction  of  chloral  was  innocently  owing.  .  .  . 

Aunt  Eliza  is  not  much  amiss  except  as  to  brain  which  at  present 
is  very  untrustworthy  .   .  . 

I  dare  say,  if  not  before,  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you 
on  the  2nd  Wednesday  in  April.  .  .  . 

For  the  first  time  (!)  I  am  reading  //  Tempo,  Salterio — much  that 
is  fine. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,    W.C. 

[16  Marth  1S91.] 

My  dear  William, 

We  have  just  received  from  Mr.  Scharf  the  good  news  that 
"the  Trustees  of  this  Gallery  unanimously  agreed  upon  the  purchase 
of  your  Brother's  beautiful  drawing  at  the  price  named  ^C^o^ — 
This,  I  think,  is  a  very  gratifying  evidence  of  dear  G.'s  standing.  .  .  . 


iSgi— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  179 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Luigi  Polidori,  residing  in  Florence,  was  a  relative  (first  cousin 
first  remove)  of  Charlotte  Polidori,  who  had  constantly  assisted  him, 
as  succeeding  to  other  relatives  in  that  line,  with  money.  He 
persecuted  her  not  a  little.  Since  the  death  of  Charlotte,  Mr.  Turner, 
as  solicitor  for  the  estate,  had  consented  to  deal  to  some  extent  with 
Luigi's  importunities.  In  consequence  of  the  present  letter  from 
Christina  I  undertook  to  do  what  she  wanted — /.  e.  (as  I  understood 
it)  to  receive  and  read  future  letters  from  Luigi,  and  to  advise 
Christina  concerning  them.  As  a  preliminary,  I  began  by  destroying 
all  the  past  letters.  Christina,  whose  squeezableness  in  such  matters 
exceeded  mine,  was  startled  when  I  told  her  of  this  ;  and  she  receded 
from  the  arrangement  proposed,  and  henceforward  dealt  direct  with 
all  Luigi's  missives,  sending  him  no  doubt  a  good  deal  more  money 
than  she  ought  to  have  allowed  him  to  wring  out  of  her.  His  letters 
must  still  have  been  sent  to  Mr.  Turner's  address  :  for  Christina  had 
at  least  the  prudence  not  to  let  Luigi  know  the  name  or  address  of 
his  benefactress.  Thus  did  things  continue  until  my  sister's  death, 
when  I  wrote  to  Luigi  to  explain.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

23  April  1 89 1. 

My  dear  William, 

I   am   prepared   to   be   viewed   by   you   as  more   or  less 
obnoxious. 

Last  night  I  received  the  enclosed  letter  from  Mr.  Turner,  which 
was  followed  by  his  visit  this  morning.  Within  that  letter  you  will 
find  an  accumulation  of  Lutgis,  and  the  card  of  the  gentleman,  A. 
Galzini,  who  called  on  Mr.  T.  This  Galzini  lives  it  seems  in 
London,  but  happily  Mr.  Turner  with-held  from  him  our  names 
and  addresses.  However,  come  what  may,  it  is  high  time  to 
relieve  poor  Mr.  Turner  (who  really  has  now  nothing  to  do  with  it 
all)  of  further  trouble  and  besetment.  Talking  with  him,  I  struck 
out  this  plan,  for  which  I  beseech  your  toleration  and  concurrence. 
I  now  and  he  henceforward  are  to  send  all  Lutgis  to  you,  to  be 
judged  according  to  your  own  judgment :  whenever  (if  ever)  you 
think  a  remittance  advisable,  /  will  find  the  cash  if  you  will  take  the 
trouble.     I  invoke   your  aid   both  as   Aunt   Charlotte's   quondam 


i8o  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTl'S    LETTERS 

executor  and  as  my  one  brother.  If  however  you  reject  this 
overture,  please  return  the  painful  packet :  if  the  contrary,  bestow 
a  card  to  calm  my  mind. 

Please  give  my  love  to  Lucy  ;  and  explain  that  I  was  on  my  way 
to  say  good-bye  when  the  door  at  which  I  was  presenting  myself  shut, 
and  shut  me  out :  I  dare  say  she  detects  that  I  am  still  sufficiently 
shy  to  lose  heart  under  such  a  rebuff.  The  "  at  home  "  seemed  to 
me  very  successful,  and  I  only  regret  not  having  had  a  glimpse  of 
your  library.     What  a  beautiful  stair  carpet. 

Love  to  any  who  love  me — but  really  that  is  quite  unChristian  ! — 
to  all  who  do  and  to  any  who  don't ! 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Two  Italian  phrases  here  may  perhaps  deserve  translation  : 
"  Nemico  "  &c.,  '•^Better  is  inimical  to  good;"  "pegni,"  pledges. — 
Olivia  and  Arthur  went  in  for  the  Oxford  local  examination  of  1891  ; 
and  the  rest  of  us  accompanied  them  to  Oxford. — The  "  stump  of  a 
tree  "  was  the  remains  of  a  tree,  in  the  back  yard  of  Christina's 
house  or  visible  therefrom,  which  had  been  lopped  down  almost  to 
extinction  in  1890.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

\.\Jnly  1 89 1.] 

My  dear  William, 

Lucy  and  you  are  brotherly  and  sisterly  in  this  matter,  and 
both  have  my  love  and  thanks.  But  really  and  truly  so  long  as 
conscience  does  not  urge  me  to  start,  and  so  long  as  I  go  on  as 
tolerably  as  at  present,  I  feel  unenergetic  and  loth  to  come  out  of 
my  hole. 

Nemico  del  bene  e  il  meglio.  Your  company  would  in  itself 
be  a  lure,  and  if  not  precisely  in  dulness  I  dare  say  I  could  beat 
you  hollow  in  dismalness  !  Only  would  that  game  repay  us  for  our 
candle?  Let  us  leave  that  Yarrow  unvisited.  So  long  as  I  have 
you  I  have  one  very  dear  person  left,  and  I  trust  you  will  not 
misinterpret  my  apathy  towards  myself  into  indifference  to  you. 
Just  now  too  I  am  much  more  comfortable  again,  for  Mr.  Stewart 
has  stopped  all  physic  and  my  throat  has  gained  greatly. 

I  wonder  where  you  and  yours  will  take  your  holiday  :  I  hope  it 


iSgi— TO    LUCY    ROSSETTI  i8i 

will  cheer  you,  strengthen  Lucy,  and  foster  the  four  "  pegni,"  to 
whom  my  love.  I  hope  soon — or  at  least  in  due  course — to  hear 
the  result  to  Olive  and  Arthur  of  the  Oxford  examination.  .  .  . 

Did  you  not  despise  our  stump  of  a  tree  at  the  catastrophe  of  last 
year  ?  I  on  the  contrary  am  very  glad  of  it  (since  better  may  not 
be)  for  it  is  leafy  and  pretty  as  far  as  it  goes,  and  its  taller  neighbour 
does  something  towards  veiling  its  shortcomings.  Turn  a  blind  eye 
towards  those  of  &c. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Bournemouth. 

[Mr.  Joseph  Skipsey,  the  coal-miner  poet,  was  at  this  time 
custodian  of  Shakespear's  birth-house  in  Stratford-on-Avon  :  I  had 
had  some  little  part  in  procuring  him  this  post.  My  wife,  on 
leaving  Oxford,  had  gone  to  Stratford  for  a  day  or  two :  and  she 
then  made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Skipsey,  whom  she  particularly 
liked.  He  told  her  that  he  was  likely  to  resign  his  post,  finding 
that  the  majority  of  visitors  to  the  birth-house  took  next  to  no 
interest  in  the  serious  and  exalted  associations  of  the  place,  but 
rather  in  silly  stories  about  a  pipe  which  Shakespear  had  (or  had  not) 
smoked,  or  a  neighbouring  locality  where  he  had  got  drunk,  or 
something  of  the  kind.  This  is  what  Christina  adverts  to,  I  under- 
stood soon  afterwards  that  the  more  essential  reason  why  Skipsey 
resigned  was  that  his  wife,  who  had  to  be  constantly  showing  visitors 
about,  was  in  a  condition  of  health  which  rendered  this  highly  unsuit- 
able, and  even  unsafe. — Mrs.  William  Bell  Scott  was  now  a  widow, 
her  husband  having  died  in  November  1890.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   LONDON,    W.C. 

26  August  [1891]. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  hope,  I  do  hope,  Bournemouth  is  doing  you  more  good 
than  Oxford  appears  to  have  done  ...  I  did  not  know  Mr.  Skipsey 
was  installed  as  custodian :  such  is  my  sordid  mind  that  I  might 
scarcely  venture  on  discharging  myself  without  an  alternative  berth, 
if  taste  alone  is  outraged.  .  .  . 

Here  is  a  message  to  you  from  Mrs.  Scott : — "  Will  you  tell  Lucy 
I  should  be  so  happy  to  see  her.  I  dare  say  she  is  not  in  town,  but 
will   be  available   in  some   autumn  day  perhaps."     This  dear  old 


i82  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

friend  has  been  ill  and  very  weak,  but  is  better  now,  and  is  I  hope 
comfortably  settled  in  her  new  home  at  Lancaster  Hall, 

133  Lancaster  Road 

Netting  Hill— W. 

Looking  up  I  see  sunshine  and  some  blue  sky :  I  hope  you  see 
the  same  and  are  cheered  by  it. 

William  came  last  Friday,  welcome  as  usual.  He  showed  me  one 
or  two  interesting  letters,  and  was  his  own  agreeable  self, — for  you 
know  of  old  I  believe  in  William  ! 

My  love  to  your  and  my  four. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

["  Signer  Mayo,"  or  properly  the  Conte  Adelfo  Mayo,  was  one  of 
my  Vastese  correspondents,  the  one  whose  letters  I  received  with 
most  pleasure  :  he  still  continues  to  correspond  with  me.  The  pro- 
posal then  pending  was  that  of  purchasing  for  the  city  of  Vasto  the 
house  in  which  my  father  had  been  born.  The  project  was  much 
agitated,  but  has  never,  I  fancy,  been  fully  effected.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[28  December  1 89 1.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  am  glad  to  have  dined  with  you  and  yours  on  Christmas 
Day,  though  to  me  the  meeting  had  a  sad  side.  The  last  time  we 
dined  thus  together,  it  was  you  with  our  dearest  Mother  on  the  last 
Christmas  Day  she  kept  on  earth.  "  I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto 
the  hills  from  whence  cometh  my  help." 

Thankyou  for  Sr.  Mayo's  letter  re-enclosed.  It  is  a  more  cheerful 
document.  If  it  comes  to  a  general  subscription  for  purchase  of 
house,  very  likely  I  shall  be  able  to  contribute ;  but  at  the  end  of 
the  year  is  not  one's  most  opulent  moment,  and  I  express  myself 
cautiously.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  letter  relates  to  a  volume  of  poems  written  by  Mr.  Morley 
Roberts.  This  gentleman  became  personally  known  to  me  at  a  later 
date;  but  for  the  present  I  had  only  some  acquaintance  with  his 
father,  an  official  at  Somerset  House.     The  latter  had  presented  me 


1892— TO    LUCY   ROSSETTI  183 

with  a  copy  of  the  Poems  of  Energy,  and  had  informed  me  that  the 
author  was  particularly  inclined  to  learn  what  view  my  sister  would 
take  of  them.  Hence  her  pronouncement.  "  I  think  him  clever"  is 
(apart  from  whatever  else)  an  opinion  in  which  thousands  of  readers 
have  vigorously  concurred  since  then.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

18  February  [1892]. 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

I  am  glad  indeed  that  nothing  has  involved  me  in  writing 
straight  to  our  poet,  whose  book  I  return.  I  think  him  clever, — but 
what  is  the  use  of  cleverness  in  matters  poetic  ?  A  number  of  lines 
strike  me  as  I  go  along,  but  at  last  I  feel  myself  stranded  on  a  not 
high  level.  Is  he  a  Scotchman  ?  possibly,  I  should  think.  "  Poems 
of  Energy  "  they  are,  but  of  judicious  energy  ?  The  goodness  of  his 
actual  work  gives  me  the  idea  that  he  could  if  he  would  work  ivell  in 
a  different  field.  Grotesijuerie  seems  to  me  woven  of  good  points 
and  relative  come-downs.  I  do  admire  some,  yet  on  the  whole  I 
must  not  rank  myself  as  an  admirer.  The  little  man  on  the  cover 
seems  not  quite  to  have  seized  his  bull  by  the  horns,  and  the  great 
man  within  the  cover  may  have  done  much  the  same.  I  regret  my 
opinion,  but  being  mine  it  has  to  be  given  :  consign  me  to  discreet 
oblivion. 

What  a  mercy  that  the  influenza  has  abated ;  I  hope  yours  will  not 
return.  .  .  . 

Aunt  Eliza  goes  on  very  fairly,  and  people  in  bed  are  not  the 
worst  off  in  such  weather.     I  go  on,  if  not  friskily,  doggedly.  .  .  . 

I  am  open  to  a  hope  that  I  am  wrong  about  our  poet :  time  will 
show. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

20  March  1892. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

.  .  .  Mr.  Stewart  is  keeping  guard  over  me  at  present,  and 
the  other  day  suggested  that  he  does  not  see  why  (like  others  of  us) 
I  should  not  live  to  be  80  !     Time  will  show,  and  I  only  wish  what 


184  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

God  wills;  but  I  do  not  run  up  like  quicksilver  at  the  announce- 
ment. .  .  . 

I  quite  enjoyed  some  Dante  conversation  with  William  when  last 
we  met ;  please  hand  him  the  enclosed  jP.S.  to  our  talk.  Perhaps 
it  is  enough  to  be  half  an  Italian,  but  certainly  it  is  enough  to  be  a 
Rossetti,  to  render  Dante  a  fascinating  centre  of  thought ;  moreover, 
I  am  not  sure  that  my  dear  old  Grandfather  did  not  outrun  my 
Father  in  admiration  for  the  poet  as  a  poet. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  must  be  the  "P.S.  to  our  talk"  named  in  the  preceding 
letter.  Christina's  remarks  go  into  details  which  will  be  understood 
by  readers  of  the  Tnfertio.  Once  launched  upon  an  ingefiious  train 
of  thought,  she  had  considerable  mental  finesse  in  pursuing  it. — I 
have  not  any  recollection  about  the  affair  of  "  Wynifred  Rawlinson  "  : 
possibly,  however,  a  member  of  a  family  of  which  I  knew  something, 
the  father  being  a  gentleman  of  means  who  collected  pictures  by 
Whistler  and  others.] 


My  dear  William, 

After  flourishing  over  Alchemists  and  their  allies,  I  recol- 
lected Sorcerers  who  also  seem  exempt  from  sustained  external 
infliction  though  the  original  wrench  seems  to  have  been  given  them  ; 
I  fear  this  weakens  my  theory  as  to  substance-deterioration  of 
Alchemists.  My  enthusiasm  actually  sent  me  to  the  Penny  Cyclopcedia, 
and  a  glance  confirms  my  surmise  that  transmutation  was  in  question 
before  Dante's  date ;  but  I  confess  it  was  a  glance,  and  not  a  careful 
reading.  Don't  you  think  something  (additional  to  your  exposition) 
might  be  made  of  Mastro  Adamo's  dropsy?  His  crime  was  to 
debase  coin  ;  his  punishment  to  have  his  blood  debased ;  that  by 
alloy,  this  by  water.  And,  if  (as  I  think  I  saw  somewhere)  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  was  not  unsurmised  as  long  ago  as  would 
be  required,  would  or  would  not  a  play  upon  words  suggest  itself 
between  the  circulating  vital  fluid  and  the  circulating  medium  ?  or 
would  our  own  who  "  il  gran  comento  fece ''  repudiate  the  triviality  ? 
As   to    Usurers   who   (I    see)   are   considered   to    correspond   with 


1892— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  185 

Alchemists, — if  so  (in  addition  to  points  already  established  or 
suggested)  might  not  some  stress  be  laid  upon  their  in  a  sense 
requiring  money  to  "  be  fruitful  and  multiply  "  contrary  to  its  natural 
constitution  ?     May  my  remarks  not  bore  you  ! 

I  think  I  have  recovered  the  name  of  the  person  who  wanted  Sing- 
Sofigs  about  flowers  to  illustrate  :  Wynifred  Rawlinson. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  beginning  of  this  letter  refers  to  The  Face  of  the  Deep,  and  to 
a  copy  of  it  which  was  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  Theodore  Watts-Dunton. 
— The  latter  part  of  the  letter  relates  to  the  alarming  condition  of 
Christina's  health,  which  directly  afterwards  necessitated  an  operation 
for  cancer.  This  was  the  first  intimation  which  reached  me  on  that 
precise  subject.] 


30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,   W.C. 

20  ]\Iay  1892. 

My  dear  William, 

Thanks  for  all  brotherliness.  No  !  I  send  on  your  note  to 
Theodore  Watts  ?^;?read,  thinking  it  wiser  on  this  occasion  to  peruse 
neither  my  own  praises  nor  dispraises.  Of  course  I  am  ordering  the 
copy,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  one  with  a  sadly-needed  slip  of  "  errata," 
for  at  the  end  of  an  investigation  I  sent  a  list  to  Mr.  McClure,  and  he 
wrote  back  that  already  the  list  was  given  in  hand.  The  list,  alas  ! 
was  so  long  that  I  omitted  trivial  printers'  errors.  .  .  . 

At  last  it  seems  that  something  brooding  in  my  health  has 
reached  a  point  demanding  sharp  treatment,  but  I  cannot  be  quite 
sure  till  a  second  opinion  has  been  sought  which  (d.v.)  will  be 
obtained  to-morrow.  I  will  write  again  if  I  can,  and  if  there  is  any- 
thing more  definite  to  say :  as  yet  the  point  is  not  decided,  and  so  it 
may  even  remain,  though  I  do  not  expect  this.  I  beg  prayers  of 
every  one  who  will  pray  for  me.  And,  dear  William,  do  not  worry 
yourself  about  me :  you  see  this  is  not  an  avowed  certainty  as  yet, 
and  come  what  will  I  am  in  Better  Hands  than  either  yours  or  my 
own  ;  I  desire  to  realize  and  to  rest  in  this. 


i86  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  Lucy  Rossktti,  Bourtiemouth. 

30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

23  \^May  1892]. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

I  know  our  dearest  William  has  written  to  you  about  me, 
and  I  think  you  may  conceive  too  gloomy  an  idea  of  my  position. 
As  to  pain,  I  have  felt  none  worth  speaking  of,  but  it  seems  that  it 
would  not  be  prudent  so  to  trust  to  this  merciful  circumstance  as  to 
neglect  the  step  now  to  be  taken,  and  about  which  I  expect  to  know 
nothing  under  influence  of  ether.  I  dare  say  a  cheerful  view  of  me 
will  be  entertained  by  the  time  you  return  home,  but  I  earnestly 
hope  you  will  not  leave  the  delightful  seaside  whilst  it  promises  to  do 
you  good.  We  are  keeping  this  anxiety  from  Aunt  Eliza,  who  sends 
you  love,  and  whom  I  join  in  love  to  Helen  and  Mary.  Various 
kind  souls  will  remember  me  in  prayer,  and  each  one  who  joins  the 
praying  band  confers  on  me  a  favour  beyond  money  and  beyond 
price.  I  have  asked  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  at  my  Church, 
but  without  my  name  being  given  out,  as  I  deprecate  getting  into 
"  paragraphs,"  and  these  are  so  in  vogue  nowadays. 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  London. 

[As  soen  as  she  had  rallied  a  little  from  the  surgical  operation  my 
sister  went  to  Brighton  with  a  professional  nurse ;  I  joined  her  there 
in  a  day  or  two.] 

17   BRUNSWICK   ROAD,    BRIGHTON. 

2)Ojune  1892. 

My  dear  Lucy, 

What  a  truly  kind  letter  yours  is,  and  how  long  I  have 
delayed  answering  it.  And  how  shall  I  excuse  myself  to  you  by 
pleading  weakness  when  you  are  suffering  from  the  same  cause,  or 
occupations  when  my  one  must  be  set  against  your  dozen  ?  But  you 
are  accustomed  to  overlook  my  shortcomings,  and  once  more  I  beg 
you  to  do  so  and  to  reserve  a  nook  in  your  heart  for  me.  .  .  . 

I  am  making  steady  progress,  and  look  forward  to  returning  home 


1892— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  187 

next  Tuesday  comparatively  well.  Thank  you  for  the  invaluable 
loan  of  William ;  he  transforms  our  enforced  expedition  into  quite  a 
holiday.  He  is  everything  that  is  kind  and  tolerant — but  you  know 
him  at  least  as  well  as  I  do  ! 

One  of  my  "  occupations  "  is  to  lie  down  !  Another  is  to  write 
letters.  Another  is  to  go  out  in  a  chair.  Shall  I  reckon  breakfasting 
in  bed  as  an  occupation  ?  You  see  I  am  not  over-exacting  towards 
myself. 

To  Lucy  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

13  IJuly  1892]. 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

I  want  to  hear  all  about  you  all  when  this  anxious  week  is 
over.  I  hope  Olive  and  Arthur  are  not  overstraining  their  excellent 
wits  ;  if  only  they  could  share  their  old  aunt's  philosophy,  and  realize 
that  not  one  triumph  at  a  particular  moment  but  the  treasure  amassed 
of  useful  and  delightful  knowledge  must  prove  the  permanent  boon  ! 
Meanwhile  despite  philosophy  I  wish  them  success.  .  .  . 

Now  that  I  am  at  home  again  it  is  satisfactory  to  resume  my  quiet 
round  of  not  difficult  duties.  Strong  I  cannot  as  yet  profess  to  feel, 
and  I  am  still  being  fed  up  and  breakfasting  luxuriously  in  bed, 
against  which  self-indulgence  may  be  set  a  daily  walk  of  more  or  less 
brevity.  .  .  . 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  book  referred  to  at  the  opening  of  this  letter  is  that  capital 
volume  by  Canon  Moore,  Dante  and  his  Early  Biographers P[ 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,  W.C. 

iic^July  1892.] 

My  dear  William, 

At  length  with  thanks  for  pleasure  I  return  Dr.  Moore's 
little  book,  which  instead  of  being  dreary  is  even  sparkling  at  proper 
moments.     My  frivolous  mind  dwells  delighted  on  the  note  on  the 


i88  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

authorship  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey,  also  on  the  remark  that  happy 
was  it  that  Dante  taught  (?)  Greek  before  the  epoch  of  examinations. 
Filelfo  too  is  treated  amusingly.  Abandoning  such  gems, — does  any 
one  dispute  the  existence  of  Beatrice  Bardi,  nata  Portinari?  I 
should  fancy  the  point  of  any  such  controversy  might  be  limited  to 
the  question  of  her  identity  or  otherwise  with  the  surnameless 
Beatrice  of  Dante's  immortalization  :  and  if  so  Boccaccio's  Lectures 
would  appear  explicable,  whether  or  not  he  simply  meant  what  he  on 
the  surface  said.  You  see,  all  too  late  I  am  being  sucked  into  the 
Dantesque  vortex. 

Now  abandoning  my  voci  alte  however  fioche  I  turn  to  matters  of 
to-day.  I  am  wanting  news  of  you  all ;  especially  I  want  to  know 
that  your  entire  caravan  is  going  somewhere,  and  further  where  that 
somewhere  is.  .  .  .  It  is  a  comfort  to  reflect  that  the  Oxford  Senior 
Exam,  is  at  last  over :  I  hope  Olive  and  Arthur  are  justly  sanguine 
of  results,  and  I  congratulate  them  on  not  having  had  Dante  for 
Greek  tutor.  .  .  , 

What  unexpected  money  do  you  think  has  accrued  to  me  ? 
£^\2.  6.  6.  from  Maria's  Exercises  and  Aneddoti.  When  in  i8S6  I 
wrote  to  ascertain  (for  probate)  value  of  copyright,  I  was  informed 
no  value:  but  I  think  it  was  in  that  very  year — see  "statement" 
from  Williams  and  Norgate —  that  the  works  cleared  themselves  and 
began  to  yield  a  profit.  .  .  . 


To  Lucy  Rossetti,  Malvern  Wells. 

30   TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

[1892 — ?  17  Align  St. "l 

Mv  DEAR  Lucy, 

.  .  .  Aunt  Eliza  quite  enjoyed  William's  conversation 
yesterday,  and  you  will  know  whether  I  appreciated  a  sight  of  him. 
He  tells  me  of  Olive's  and  Arthur's  success  in  chemistry,  which  I 
hope  will  be  followed  up  by  success  in  the  wider  Examination.  The 
babies  of  yesterday  are  the  sages  of  to-day  !  I  wonder  if  Helen  has 
been  reading  some  of  my  old  favourite  Turguenieffs  :  I  fancy  the 
first  of  his  which  I  read  was  Lisa  translated  by  our  old  friend  Mr. 
Ralston.     Le  Roi  Lear  de  la  Steppe  I  greatly  admired,  but  Gabriel 


OF 

<^FOV^''^  ^  1892— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  189 

did  not  quite  agree  with  me.  Moue-moue  was  consummate,  but  so 
fearfully  painful.  I  hope  dear  Helen  will  not  appraise  life  quite 
according  to  any  such  pessimistic  standard,  but  will  use  her  great 
gifts  to  better  purpose.  .  .  . 

I  am  still  decidedly  weak, — but  no  wonder.  Nurse  gives  me  her 
arm,  and  so  I  manage  a  little  air  and  exercise.  To-day  is  a  superb 
summer  day. 

To  William  Rossettl 

[The  request  made  by  The  Graphic  must  evidently  have  been  that 
Christina  would  sit  for,  or  would  supply,  a  portrait  of  herself,  to  be 
published  in  that  paper.  With  this  note  Christina  sent  me  also  a 
full-sized  review,  extracted  from  the  Rock,  of  The  Face  of  the  Deep. 
The  suggestion  in  that  review,  that  she  advisedly  abstained  from 
making  her  verses  good  ones  in  the  executive  sense,  was  certainly 
funny.  Two  answers,  both  of  them  true,  could  have  been  returned 
by  her  to  that  suggestion  : — i.  The  verses  are  good  ;  2.  If  they  were 
bad,  the  only  reason  would  be  that  I  could  do  them  no  better.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

[9  November  1892.] 

Mv  DEAR  William, 

All  my  enclosures  alike  are  not  wanted  back.  .  .  .  The 
note  from  The  Graphic  (name  of  Editor  I  could  not  make  out)  I 
have  negatived,  but  referred  him  to  an  Elliot  and  Fry  of  '77. — The 
review  is  a  pleasing  one,  laudatory  to  a  high  degree, — yet  I  am 
surprised  to  see  the  suggestion  that  (perhaps  as  a  devout  self-denial) 
I  forbore  to  make  my  verse  as  good  as  I  could  :  neither  as  praise  nor 
as  blame  do  I  deserve  the  imputation. 

Love  to  Lucy  who  I  wish  may  be  facing  these  foglets  scatheless. 
And  love  all  round. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  Lawson  was  the  surgeon  who  in  May  1892  performed  the 
operation  for  cancer  on  Christina.  He  now  gave  a  reassuring 
opinion,  but  it  had  to  be  set  aside  all  too  soon. — "  Mr.  Scott's  book  " 
is  the  Autobiographical  Notes  of  W.  B.  Scott.     As  is  well  known. 


igo  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

that  book  contains  some  harsh,  and  not  ahvays  accurate,  remarks 
about  Dante  Rossetti :  Christina,  through  my  information,  was  aware 
of  this  fact,  and  she  preferred  to  leave  the  book  unread. — "The 
verse-vol.  scheme,"  referred  to  in  Christina's  postscript,  was  the 
scheme,  which  I  had  proposed  to  her,  that  the  poems  contained  in 
her  various  books  published  by  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge  should  all  be  collected  together  into  one  volume.  This 
was  done,  in  the  volume  entitled  Verses,  1893.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[29  November  1S92.] 

My  dear  \\'illiam. 

Please  go  shares  with  my  kind  Lucy.  Mr.  Lawson  has  just 
been  (apparently  of  his  own  accord,  and  simply  as  a  friendly  call  I 
accepted  it)  and,  at  his  own  request  of  course,  made  an  examination. 
With  a  joyful  result.  He  inclines  to  think  that  there  is  nothing  but 
what  is  otherwise  and  quite  satisfactorily  explicable  at  the  suspected 
point,  and  even  on  the  contrary  supposition  impresses  upon  most 
willing  me  that  in  his  opinion  nothing  is  to  be  done — now  ;  perhaps 
he  means  ever,  but  of  this  I  am  not  sure.  He  will  himself  see  Mr. 
Stewart  to-night,  and  was  altogether  as  amiable  as  possible.  Knowing 
how  affectionately  Lucy  and  you  feel  for  me,  I  write  at  once  so  that 
this  may  reach  you  before  you  start  for  Somerset  House. 

In  last  night's  St.  James's  Gazette  there  was  a  rather  long  article 
on  Mr.  Scott's  book,  pleasant  and  laudatory  and  containing  nothing 
obnoxious. 

Love  all  round.  .  .  . 

Writing  to  Mr.  McClure  I  mentioned  the  verse-vol.  scheme,  and 
referred  to  you. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  "illustrated  Goblifi  Afarket"  must  be  the  one  designed  by 
Mr.  Laurence  Housman.  The  other,  proposed  by  Mr.  Kegan  Paul, 
cannot  have  come  to  anything.  Mr.  Housman's  designs  are  the 
work  of  a  very  clever  artist :  but  they  did  not  correspond  to  Christina's 
notions,  and  I  remember  that,  in  sending  me  a  co[)y  of  the  book, 
she  wrote  on  the  wrapper  the  single  word  "Alas."] 


1893— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  191 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

30  {December  1892]. 

My  dearest  William, 

Your  card  received  this  morning  brightens  a  foggy  world  ! 
My  love  to  dear  Lucy,  with  my  earnest  wishes  for  her  recovery,  and 
especially  for  that  first  stage  of  recovery  which  may  enable  her  to  ex- 
change London  for  some  promising  spot,  perhaps  Bournemouth 
which  is  not  so  very  far  to  reach.  I  fully  believe  in  Olive's  nursing- 
powers,  and  I  know  what  you  yourself  are  in  a  sick  room.  Our 
nurse  tells  me  that  there  is  an  admirable  doctor  at  Bournemouth 
who  succeeded  in  a  case  of  the  same  kind  after  I  know  not  how  many 
London  doctors  had  failed.  ...  /  am  quite  shut  up  again,  though 
with  all  precautions  fairly  well :  but  it  happened  that  (supposing  it 
the  right  thing)  I  went  out  a  few  steps  on  the  24th,  and  after  getting 
back  was  taken  with  such  a  fit  of  gasping  breathlessness  that  Mr. 
Stewart  ordered  me  not  to  attempt  another  sally  till  this  severe  cold 
has  abated.  .  .  . 

How  oddly  things  happen  !  I  told  you  of  an  illustrated  Goblin 
Market  sent  me  not  very  long  ago  with  an  eye  to  permission  to 
publish  it  :  now  I  have  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Kegan  Paul  with  the 
same  or  a  similar  scheme,  and  proposing  to  issue  it  for  next  Christ- 
mas, I  to  go  shares  in  profits  :  but  I  fear  my  having  to  refer  him  to 
Macmillans  for  joint-sanction  has  put  an  end  to  the  plan. 

A  friend  has  sent  me  Tennyson  Land  which  possibly  you  may  like 
to  look  at. 

Love  to  our  dear  four.  .  .  . 

You  know  Goblin  Market  has  been  out  these  30  years  ! ! 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Christina's  acquaintance  with  Madox  Brown  must  have  begun 
not  only  before  she  was  twenty  (as  she  here  says)  but  soon  before  she 
was  eighteen. — The  kitten  who  "  made  the  Y  of  our  childhood  " 
was  probably  one  (a  semi-Persian)  dubbed  Muff,  whom  I  was  glad  to 
house  between  the  date  of  Christina's  death  and  that  of  Muff's  own  : 
or  else  it  was  an    offspring  of  Muff.     The  "Y"  was   a   pose,  with 


192  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

outstretched  fore-paws,  of  which  (as  assumed  by  a  tabby  of  my  very 
early  recollection)  I  made  some  passing  mention  in  my  Memoir  of 
Dante  Rossettil]    ■ 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

2  [January]  1893. 

My  dear  William, 

This  is  my  first  letter  this  year,  and  is  charged  with  deepest 
and  widest  good  wishes  to  Lucy,  yourself,  and  your  four.  Keen  as 
the  cold  is,  I  yet  hope  that  the  vanishing  of  fog  may  favour  our  dear 
patient.  .  .  . 

Thankyou  for  your  dear  little  card  received  on  new  year's  eve : 
so  much  of  my  heart  is  yours  that  you  may  be  sure  of  my  sympathy. 
The  "  gasping  "  seems  to  have  been  brought  on  simply  by  my  having 
gone  out  at  an  ill-chosen  moment,  and  nothing  of  the  sort  has  re- 
curred. You  know  how  glad  I  shall  be  to  see  you,  but  I  do  not 
even  wish  it  before  all  circumstances  favour  my  indulgence  :  it  is  a 
treat  to  talk  over  things  with  you,  the  head  of  my  house  and  my 
natural  adviser. 

Some  days  ago  I  received  6  copies  of  my  2nd  ed.  Face  of  the 
Deep,  a  corrected  ed.  much  to  my  satisfaction. 

A  card  of  kind  remembrance  came  on  Saturday  from  Mr.  Madox 
Brown.  What  a  steady  old  friend  he  is :  to  me  a  very  old  friend 
as  I  knew  him  before  I  was  20. 

I  am  turned  doctor  myself !  rubbing  a  kitten  who  appears  weak 
(to  say  the  least)  in  the  hind  legs  with  camphorated  oil.  Yesterday 
I  flattered  myself  that  the  treatment  afforded  some  promise  of 
amendment.  Such  a  pretty  kitten,  with  such  a  rich  fur.  And  it 
stood  up  yesterday  at  the  fender  and  made  the  Y  of  our  childhood  ! 


To  William  Rossetti,   Boscombe. 

[Mr.  McClure  was  (and  I  think  still  is)  the  Secretary  of  the 
Christian  Knowledge  Society.  Christina  was  now  performing  a 
"slavish  copying"  of  her  various  poems  scattered  throughout  publi- 
cations of  this  Society,  with  a  view  to  compiling  her  book,  published 
in  1893,  entitled  Verses ?\ 


i893— TO  WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  193 


30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

8  February  1893. 
My  dear  William, 

I    am   heartily  glad   to   hear  from   you,    but   not   at   all 
discontented  at  not  having  heard  sooner.  .  .  . 

I  was  approved  of  by  Mr.  Stewart  yesterday :  to  my  discom- 
fiture he  has  added  a  daily  glass  of  port  wine  to  all  my  eats  and 
drinks.  As  I  am  always  seeing  him  I  am  defenceless  against  these 
enactments.  .  .  . 

One  afternoon  came  Mr.  McClure  with  his  wife.  He  tells  me 
that  my  last  book  sold  beyond  what  was  anticipated,  so  that  the 
second  ed.  was  not  out  quite  in  time  to  meet  the  demand.  Very 
grand.  I  am  getting  on  with  my  slavish  copying  of  the  verses  for  the 
S.P.C.K.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,  London. 

[Christina  had  in  conversation  proposed  to  dedicate  to  me  her 
forthcoming  volume,  Verses.  I  had  expressed  some  doubt  as  to 
whether  this  could  be  deemed  appropriate  :  a  doubt  essentially  based 
on  the  consideration  that  her  intensely  devotional  Christian  poems 
ought  hardly  to  be  dedicated  to  any  one  who  did  not  share  the  same 
beliefs  in  full.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[10  March  1893.] 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Since  we  talked  about  it  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  very  likely  you  were  right  in  hesitating  to  accept  the  dedication 
of  my  reprint.  But,  if  so,  I  shall  leave  it  undedicated ;  and  you  and 
I  will  know  that  in  my  heart  thus  it  stands : — 

To  my  dearest  Brother 

William  Michael  Rossetti 

I  commend  these  verses. 

I  have   not   yet   completed   the  printers'   copy,  but   am   far   on 
with  it.  .  .  . 
13 


19^  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[About  this  time  my  wife  had  a  frightful  attack  of  iUness  with 
blood-spitting  &c. :  for  three  or  four  days,  each  day  seemed  likely  to 
be  her  last.  "  Drizzarsi  in  sullo  stelo  "  means  "  to  straighten  on  the 
stem." — Sir  Robert  Micks  was  the  Secretary  (Excise  Branch)  in  the 
Inland  Revenue  Office.  I  did  not  succeed  him  as  Secretary,  but 
continued  for  a  short  while  to  be  Assistant  Secretary. — The  8th  and 
9th  April  were  the  anniversaries  of  my  mother's  and  my  brother's 
death. — Mrs.  R[ussell]  Gurney's  book  related  to  Dante.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

13  April  1893. 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

I  assure  you  I  am  sharing  your  anxiety  for  our  dear  Lucy. 
My  love  to  her  and  every  best  wish  I  can  form.  This  return  of 
wintry  cold — though  tempered  by  such  warming  sunshine — makes 
me  hope  that  we  are  now  in  "  blackthorn  winter  " ;  and  that  before 
so  very  long  these  trying  winds  may  cease,  allowing  flowers  in  general, 
and  especially  our  own  Flower  de  Luce,  to  drizzarsi  in  sullo  stelo.  .  .  . 

What  a  burden  double  work  at  Somerset  House  must  just 
now  be  upon  you.  I  noticed  in  the  paper  that  Sir  Robert  Micks  is 
about  retiring.  I  fear  it  is  a  phantom  hope  to  foresee  you  as  his 
successor  :  but  of  course  I  wish  it,  were  it  merely  to  augment  your 
superannuation. 

How  nice  of  you  to  recollect  me  in  the  midst  of  such  engrossing 
thoughts.  Mr.  Stewart  wished  me  to  see  Mr.  Lawson  again,  and 
to-day  they  held  consultation.  The  result  is  that  the  state  of  my 
heart  would  render  an  operation  too  hazardous :  but  for  this  bar, 
I  suppose  one  might  have  been  judged  advisable,  as  some  mischief  is 
going  on,  but  happily  slowly.  So  you  see  there  is  nothing  to  debate 
about  at  present,  "  and  underneath  are  the  Everlasting  Arms."  I 
continue  to  like  Mr.  Lawson,  and  am  glad  to  escape  the  heavy 
expense  of  an  operation  and  its  context. 

Did  you  remember  the  8th  and  9th  of  this  month?  The  loth  also 
was  the  anniversary  of  our  parents'  wedding  day. — I  have  begun  the 
Memoir  of  James  Smetham  and  like  it,  also  I  like  Mrs.  R.  Gurney's 
book  so  far. 


i8g3— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  195 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Mr.  G.  Somes  Layard  was  at  this  time  preparing  a  book  named 
Tennyson  and  his  Prceraphaelite  Illustrators.  I  do  not  recollect  ever 
seeing  Mr.  Kitton's  article.] 

30    TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    W.C. 

[i9^/;77i893.] 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Please  if  possible  give  my  love  and  very  best  wishes 
to  Lucy.  If  ever  it  would  give  her  the  slightest  pleasure  to  see  me 
pray  let  me  know :  I  should  be  afraid  of  startling  her  were  I  to 
present  myself  unexpectedly,  as  I  am  such  an  exceptional  pheno- 
menon; but  under  encouragement  I  dare  say  I  could  manage  the 
transit  in  a  cab.  .  .  . 

Of  course  the  serious  point  remains  un-changed,  and  I  do  not 
expect  any  more  investigation  for  an  undefined  period.  The  only 
occasional  pain  continues  so  trifling  that  if  I  called  it  discomfort 
instead  of  pain  it  might  give  you  a  more  accurate  impression ;  and 
in  other  ways  I  am  quite  tolerable. 

I  have  heard  from  a  Mr.  Layard  about  Gabriel's  Tennyson 
illustrations;  but,  as  he  tells  me  he  has  already  heard  from  you  who 
are  so  much  better  an  authority,  my  customary  ignorance  will  not 
signify.  Also  from  a  Mr.  Kitton  who  is  concocting  an  article  on  the 
pets  of  "celebrities"  :  but  here  again  I  had  sadly  Httle  to  say  beyond 
the  cat  who  made  a  Y. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[Eliza  Polidori,  the  last  stage  of  whose  illness  is  announced  in 
this  note,  died  on  4  June,  aged  eighty-three.  This  left  Christina 
the  sole  tenant  in  the  Torrington  Square  house.] 

[2  June  1893.] 

My  dear  William, 

A  thousand  thanks  for  your  brotherliness.  .  .  . 
I  am  glad  to  write  this  afternoon,  as  I  must  tell  you  that  good  Aunt 
Eliza  is  lying  in  a  very  precarious  state.    Should  my  next  letter  even 


196  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

bear  a  black  border  you  must  not  be  surprised.  She  is  insensible,  which 
Mr.  Stewart  attributes  to  an  access  of  brain-mischief:  so  far  as 
appears  the  case  at  this  time,  she  would  neither  see  you  nor  know  of 
your  presence  even  were  you  at  her  bedside, — so  it  was  when  I  was 
in  her  room  half-an-hour  or  so  ago.  Happily  Mr.  Stewart  spoke 
positively  this  morning  of  her  being  free  from  suffering,  and  please 
understand  that  he  has  not  given  her  over  in  talking  to  me. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[As  a  last  (and  fruitless)  effort  for  health,  my  wife,  with  our  three 
daughters,  left  London  for  Pallanza  on  3  October. — Madox  Brown 
was  too  truly  "  a  frequent  sufferer  " :  but  he  had  not  much  oftener  to 
suffer,  for  on  6  October  he  died.  His  pictures  sent  to  Chicago  did 
not  come  in  for  a  prize.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

4  October  1893. 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

Thank  you  warmly  for  letting  me  know.  Anxious  and 
painful  as  is  the  step,  I  cannot  but  be  glad  that  poor  Lucy  has  at 
last  set  off  with  her  flock.  I  hope  the  journey  will  be  accomplished 
safely,  and  Pallanza  prove  a  suitable  sojourn.  You  know  I  called 
and  saw  Lucy  last  week  ?  I  did  not  like  her  to  leave  England 
without  my  at  least  trying  to  see  her  once  more,  and  when  I  got 
to  your  house  she  consented  to  admit  me.  As  to  looks  she  quite 
surpassed  my  expectation,  but  I  know  that  looks  are  not  always 
to  be  depended  upon.  I  am  glad  also  to  have  seen  all  your 
children.  .  .  . 

After  all  I  have  sent  Mr.  Swinburne  a  "  reprint "  avowedly  from 
myself.  The  S.P.C.K.  bestowed  on  me  a  2nd  half-dozen,  so  I  set 
aside  manoeuvring. 

Will  you  be  quite  sick  of  my  begging  a  Gabriel  autograph  ?  It 
is  now  one  of  Mrs.  Bull's  (Bessie  Read  that  was)  daughters  who 
desiderates  one. 

I  have  just  been  reading  the  Epic  of  Hades,  and  do  not  care 
about  it.  Do  you  know  that  this  month's  Magazine  of  Art  contains 
Gabriel's  Veronica  Veronese  in  photogravure  ?    So  I  saw  announced. 


1893— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  197 

Poor  Mr.  Brown,  what  a  frequent  sufferer  he  is.  When  I  see  you 
I  want  to  know  whether  his  pictures  received  one  of  the  Chicago 
prizes.  I  saw  "  Fred  Brown  "  in  a  list  of  prizemen,  and  thought  it 
might  possibly  misrepresent  him. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  "  handsome  cheque  "  must  have  been  money  due  to  Christina 
from  the  copyrights  «Sz:c.  of  Dante  Gabriel.  The  rest  of  her  note 
refers  to  Madox  Brown  :  he,  however,  had  died  on  the  preceding 
day.] 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

7  October  1893. 

My  dear  William, 

I  head  with  that  startling  stamp  because  I  once  understood 
that,  even  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a  present  or  of  one's  own  money, 
such  was  the  intention  of  the  revenue — or  perhaps  I  should  rather 
say  such  was  its  theoretic  ideal.  Thank  you  for  the  handsome 
cheque,  which  of  course  shall  lie  by  for  the  present.  I  well  know 
the  run  on  ready  money  at  such  moments,  and  would  gladly  act 
banker  up  to  ;^  100  for  that  most  kind  old  friend  ;  please  remember 
this  in  case  of  need,  although  of  course  ostensibly  you  would  supply 
the  funds.  Even  if  my  advance  were  lost  it  would  not  half  repay 
the  kindnesses  of  other  days. 

Your  last  letter  shows  that  you  had  abandoned  hope.  I  have 
seen  such  amazing  rallies  that  I  do  not  yet  feel  certain,  but  that  is 
all  I  can  say.  I  am  hoping  for  a  word  of  news  again  to-night.  Your 
report  of  Lucy  so  far  ought  to  cheer  us  and  make  us  thankful,  but  I 
fear  what  effect  this  shock  may  have  upon  her. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[In  consequence  of  Madox  Brown's  death,  and  of  my  great  un- 
certainty as  to  the  demands  which  might  be  made  on  his  survivors 
(principally  Mrs.  Cathy  Hueffer),  I  thought  it  would  be  desirable  to 
have  some  cash  in  hand  to  meet  their  requirements — I  was  not  under 
any  personal  responsibility.  Christina  (as  her  last  letter  shows)  had 
already  volunteered  to  advance  ;^ioo.     I,  probably  before  receiving 


igS  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

that  letter,  had  started  a  query  as  to  ^200,  and  she  produced  that 
amount. — Miss  Lisa  Wilson,  a  very  accomplished  lady,  was  one  of 
Christina's  most  intimate  friends  in  her  closing  years,  and  my 
daughters  and  I  continue  to  enjoy  her  acquaintance.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

7  October  1893. 

My  dear  William, 

I   do  not  think  your  letter  sounds   unfeeling.      Do   not 
fancy  it. 

Perhaps  you  already  have  mine  of  this  afternoon  in  which  I 
volunteered  a  loan  (or  in  case  of  ultimate  need  a  gift)  of  ;^ioo. 
But  I  can  instantly  and  without  the  slightest  inconvenience  send  you 
a  cheque  for  ^£200  out  of  my  current  account.  Beyond  this  I  have 
just  laid  by  ^200  in  the  Freehold,  which  is  an  investment  on  which 
I  constantly  draw  on  occasion ;  not  like  my  other  investments  sup- 
posed to  be  permanent.  So  let  me  feel  that  one  point  of  your  harass 
is  allayed.  I  would  send  you  the  cheque  in  this  letter  if  I  knew  you 
wanted  it  at  once,  and  I  only  wait  to  hear  exactly  what  you  wish 
done.  I  quite  agree  with  you  as  to  the  probable  lack  of  funds  for 
some  time  to  come,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  the  proper  person  to  look 
some  up. 

But  about  poor  Lucy  is  alas  a  difficulty  utterly  beyond  my  power 
to  cope  with.  I  feel  with  you  the  incalculability  of  what  effect  such 
painful  news  may  take  upon  her,  frail  as  she  is.  I  hope  she  is  at 
Pallanza  ere  this,  and  so  may  have  caught  the  alarm  from  your  letters 
before  the  final  blow  falls  on  her.  My  poor  dear  William,  I  wish  I 
could  comfort  you.  .  .  . 

Already  a  friend  (Lisa  Wilson)  has  seen  the  death  announced  in 
the  Standard,  and  expresses  herself  very  feelingly,  for  she  knows  how 
delicate  our  Lucy  is.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  was  written  on  the  day  of  Madox  Brown's  funeral — to  which 
the  opening  sentence  refers.  By  "No.  i  "  Christina  meant  "No.  i 
St.  Edmund's  Terrace,"  the  house  in  which  Brown  had  died :  it  was 
separated  from  my  own  house  by  only  one  intervening  dwelling.] 


i893— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  199 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

II  October  1893. 

My  dear  William, 

It  is  nearly  noon  and  you  may  be  sure  I  am  not  unmindful 
of  all  to-day  brings  with  it.  I  am  often  thinking  about  Lucy.  When 
you  can,  I  dare  say  I  shall  be  told  how  she  bears  what  by  this  time  I 
assume  her  to  know.  Poor  Lucy,  I  well  remember  in  old  days  her 
great  affection  for  her  Father.  I  hope  the  will  has  come  to  light 
and  put  an  end  to  one  complication  of  trouble.  Your  negativing 
any  idea  of  my  attending  the  funeral  truly  obliges  me :  I  am  glad  not 
to  have  to  decline,  although  I  could  not  have  accepted  an  invitation. 
My  love  to  Cathy  if  worth  giving. 

What  you  suggest  about  my  becoming  tenant  of  No.  i  had 
occurred  to  my  own  mind,  but,  unless  some  special  reason  leads 
me  thither,  I  do  not  think  it  altogether  advisable.  The  house  which 
would  suit  my  infirmities  would  have  sitting-rooms  on  ground-floor, 
bedrooms  on  ist  floor,  thus  saving  me  many  stairs;  so  that  such  a 
cottage  as  our  Grandparents  occupied  in  Park  Village  East  would 
meet  my  requirements  better  than  a  superior  house.  A  number  of 
empty  rooms  too  are  not  merely  useless  but  depressing.  However, 
were  there  a  strong  motive  the  other  way  these  drawbacks  might  be 
overruled,  and  antiual  tenancy  is  very  attractive.  But  common  sense 
forbids  my  scheming  for  a  remote  future.  You  ask  about  my  health  : 
there  is  nothing  very  particular  to  report,  but  the  heart  still  occasion- 
ally makes  itself  felt,  and  the  other  weak  point  is  I  suppose  gaining 
rather  than  losing  ground.  Even  now  the  pain  is  trifling.  Mr. 
Stewart  often  comes  to  see  me.  .  .  . 

I  dare  not  write  to  Lucy  before  being  quite  sure  that  she  knows 
all.  This  secured,  I  should  like  to  send  her  a  word  of  sympathy  if 
you  see  no  objection. 

Love  to  Arthur. 

To  William  Rossetti. 

[Dante  Rossetti's  "burlesque  drama"  is  entitled  The  Death  of 
Topsy  {i.e.  William  Morris).  It  is  amusing,  but  must,  I  suppose, 
remain  perdu  in  my  hands,  not  being  intended  nor  yet  suitable  for 


200  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

publication. — The  Inferno  which  Christina  returned  was  the  transla- 
tion by  Mr.  Musgrave  in  the  Spenserian  stanza.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[4  December  1893.] 

My  dear  William, 

Thank   you   for  errata,   which  I   am   sending  on  to   Mr. 
McClure  in  case  they  may  still  be  in  time.  .  .  . 

Perhaps  you  have  seen  ...  a  further  reference  to  a  burlesque 
drama  (?)  of  Gabriel's  which  he  once  read  us.  This  was  alluded  to 
in  the  St.  James's  Gazette ;  how  known  of,  who  knows  ?  .  .  . 

Is  any  book  ever  absolutely  accurate?  Kegan  Paul  says  in  his 
Preface  that  he  has  added  1 7  new  poets  to  his  re-issue,  whereas  on 
careful  examination  I  find  (and  fail  to  see  any  other  explanation)  18. 
I  should  like  to  know  which  is  correct.  .  .  . 

I  return  the  Inferno  with  considerable  admiration. 


To   WlLLL^M    ROSSETTL 

[Christina's  health  at  this  time  was  in  such  a  condition  as  to  make 
it  totally  unfitting  that  she  should  go  to  Pallanza.  I  must  no  doubt 
have  replied  to  her  to  this  effect,  and  her  doctor,  if  she  consulted 
him,  must  necessarily  and  imperatively  have  forbidden  her. — Mr. 
Aldrich  was  then,  and  still  is.  Curator  of  the  Historical  Department 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  in  its  capital,  Des  Moines :  a  highly  estimable 
gentleman  well  known  to  me,  keen  in  collecting  for  his  institution 
documents,  autographs,  and  other  relics.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[24  December  1893.] 
Mv  DEAR  William, 

I  receive  your  news  into  a  somewhat  heavy  heart.  That 
you  have  been  ill  is  in  a  measure  balanced  by  the  joyful  announce- 
ment of  your  being  better, — but  poor  Lucy,  I  cannot  but  feel  grave 
apprehension.  Is  it  imaginable  that  my  going  over  could  be  of  any 
use  or  help  or  comfort?     If  so,  I  would  try  to  get  leave  to  start 


1893— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  201 

(accompanied  of  course  by  a  nurse)  from  Mr.  Stewart.  By  the 
beginning  of  next  year  I  should  be  in  sufficient  funds.  Yet  it  seems 
almost  mere  words  to  speak  of  such  a  plan  under  actual  circumstances, 
my  health  considered :  still,  I  would  certainly  ask  Mr.  S.  were  there 
an  opening.  Of  course  I  would  not  be  an  expense  to  my  family,  and 
perhaps  the  girls  might  find  some  sort  of  support  in  the  presence 
of  one  who  might  be  their  grandmother.  Without  Mr.  Stewart's 
permission  however  I  should  not  feel  at  liberty  to  go. 

As  to  the  pleasures  of  Christmas  I  say  nothing.  I  wish  you  and 
Arthur  (to  whom  my  thanks)  and  all  yours  its  overflow  of  blessings. 
Flowers  have  come  to  me  in  profusion,  amongst  them  a  box  from 
Pallanza. 

I  wonder  what  brought  on  this  fit  of  gout ;  you  had  been  so  long 
comparatively  free  from  it :  I  hope  it  has  not  been  one  of  the  most 
painful  attacks.  I  too  am  not  at  my  very  best  at  present,  although 
very  tolerable  and  able  to  get  to  church  to-day.  .  .  . 

I  sent  Mr.  Aldrich  2  specimens  of  Gabriel's  hair :  one  in  the  early 
fair  stage,  the  other  dark ;  both  dated.  I  hope  that  by  this  time  my 
earlier  letters  have  reached  him. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    W.C. 

[29  December  1893.] 

My  dear  William, 

.  .  .  Don't  let  expense  be  the  insurmountable  difficulty 
if  you  wish  to  go  to  Pallanza :  of  course,  if  I  could  have  man- 
aged my  own  journey  thither,  I  could  be  your  banker  as  well  or 
better.  .  .  . 

Mrs.  Garnett  called  one  day  and  told  me  that  by  Christmas  there 
was  no  meeting  the  demand  for  Verses :  at  one  considerable  shop 
she  tried  at  she  heard  that  twenty  or  thirty  applications  had  had 
to  be  negatived  for  the  moment.  I  wish  the  new  edition  may  now 
be  out,  but  I  have  not  heard. 

I  wrote  to  Lucy  at  Christmas,  merely  a  sisterly  letter,  not  I  hope 
one  in  any  way  to  try  her.  .  .  . 


CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 


To  William  Rossetti,  Sa7i  Re  mo. 

[From  Pallanza  my  wife  went  to  Genoa,  and  then  to  San  Remo. 
On  19  March  I  received  a  telegram  showing  her  to  be  almost  at  the 
last  gasp ;  so  on  the  following  day,  accompanied  by  my  son,  I  started 
for  San  Remo.  Lucy,  though  she  had  once  more  rallied  in  a  certain 
sense,  was  at  that  time  far  past  any  hope  of  recovery  or  improvement : 
she  continued  alive  and  suffering  up  to  12  April.  It  was  a  kind 
thought  of  Christina  to  commission  our  family-doctor,  Mr.  Gill,  to 
go  over  to  San  Remo,  if  wanted  by  the  patient.  But  there  was  truly 
nothing  to  be  done,  beyond  what  a  young  Italian  physician,  Dr. 
Ansaldi,  supplied  by  his  daily  and  judicious  attendance.  My  wife 
and  all  of  us  appreciated  this  gentleman  highly.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

[26  March  1 894.] 

My  dear  William, 

Cathy  very  kindly  brought  me  round  your  and  Olive's 
letters  to-day,  so  now  I  know  how  you  all  are  suffering  and  in 
suspense.  Be  sure  you  are  in  my  heart  and  thoughts.  May  I 
send  love  to  Lucy?   as  well  as  to  the  rest. 

Is  it  possible  that  you  (or  that  dear  Lucy  herself  in  any  degree) 
are  wishing  you  could  see  Mr.  Gill  ?  If  so  and  if  you  would  allow 
me,  I  could  and  would  help  as  far  as  ;^ioo.  But  if  there  is  no 
feeling  of  the  sort  do  not  trouble  yourself  to  allude  to  this.  I  am 
very  tolerable  to-day. 


To  William  Rossetti,  Safi  Remo. 

30  TORRINGTON    SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

2  April  1894. 

My  dear  William, 

Welcome  was  your  card  last  Saturday  morning.  I  think 
the  account  to  the  full  as  good  as  could  be  looked  for  after  what  has 
passed,  although  of  course  with  the  limitation  you  indicate.  .  .  . 

Longmans  have  written  to  me  on  the  subject  of  a  ^l^  Shadoiv  of 
Dante,  and  I  suppose  they  will   issue  one  in  their  Silver  Library 


i894— TO   WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  203 

series  as  I  left  the  decision  to  them  :  they  would  keep  on  also  the 
current  ed.  but  foresee  that  its  sale  would  be  diminished  by  the 
cheaper  volume.  I  hear  also  of  a  third  ed.  of  my  Verses,  S.P.C.K. 
I  have  had  a  visit  this  morning  from  Mary  Cayley  (Arthur  Cayley's 
daughter)  and  was  glad  to  hear  news  of  the  family.  Sophie  and 
Henrietta  Cayley  (her  aunts  whom  you  may  remember)  died  some 
years  ago  within  no  very  prolonged  period  of  each  other.  Profr. 
Cayley  himself  is  a  good  deal  of  an  invalid,  at  least  for  the  present : 
his  wife  sent  me  some  pretty  daffodils  which  now  adorn  my  table. 
Henry  Cayley,  the  son,  looked  in  and  fetched  his  sister  and  is  very 
tall :  I  understand  that  he  is  studying  architecture.  .  .  . 


To  William  Rossetti,  San  Remo. 

[I  cannot  remember  about  the  "little  papers  "  which  Christina  was 
"trying  to  write"  :  one  might  surmise,  something  for  publication,  but 
I  question  this.  Neither  have  I  any  knowledge  of  the  affair  of  Mr. 
John  Shelley ;  nor  of  the  name  of  Rosamond  Martin.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,    LONDON,    W.C. 

9  April  1894. 
MV   DEAREST   WiLLIAM, 

You  may  think  how  much  my  thoughts  are  with  you  all. 
My  love  to  dear  Lucy,  and  thanks  for  love  sent  me  by  you.  .  .  . 
They  have  been  doing  up  this  Square  really  prettily  just  now,  and  I 
have  been  remembering  the  pleasant  days  when  you  and  yours  were 
all  staying  here,  and  Helen  and  Mary  frequented  the  enclosure, 
and  we  used  to  muster  cheerfully  round  a  hani  I  I  hope  Lucy  will 
be  equal  to  accepting  my  love  and  to  knowing  how  often  I  think 
of  her.  .  . 

I  forgot  in  my  last  to  thank  my  nieces  for  a  box  of  flowers,  and 
I  do  so  now  with  my  love.  Here  is  a  dried  heartsease :  I  wish  I 
could  send  you  its  sentiment  as  well  as  itself.  That  the  girls  are  not 
quite  downcast  is  really  to  be  rejoiced  at ;  but  I  can  fancy  its  effect 
on  you. 

I  have  just  finished  certain  little  papers  I  told  you  I  was  trying  to 
write,  and  to-day  I  hope  to  have  them  posted.     It  is  a  good  thing 


204  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTl'S    LETTERS 

really  to  do  what  I  have  to  do  noiv.  I  go  on  extremely  tolerably, 
yet  I  think  with  a  gradual  downward  tendency. 

Not  long  ago  a  Mr.  John  Shelley  sent  me  a  little  Latin  book  with 
an  amiable  letter.  Would  he  be  one  of  the  Shelleys  ?  He  wrote 
from  Plymouth.  .  .  . 

"  Rosamond  Martin "  writes  from  Chesham  that  a  perform- 
ance of  my  Pagea7it  is  preparing  for  a  charitable  purpose.  She 
mentions  her  mother  as  authoress  of  several  novels,  but  I  do  not 
recognize  the  name.  .  .  . 


To  WILLIA^r  Rossetti,  Londo7i. 

[This  is  a  reply  to  a  brief  letter  which  I  wrote  to  Christina  imme- 
diately after  returning  to  London,  consequent  upon  my  wife's  death 
at  San  Remo.  Her  will  had  left  her  separate  property,  including  the 
house' 3  St.  Edmund's  Terrace,  to  our  children  under  trusteeship.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE,   W.C. 

[18  April  1894.] 

My  dear  William, 

At  least  it  is  a  comfort  and  great  matter  for  thankfulness 
that  you  are  all  safely  back  again.  Be  sure  my  heart  is  with  you  in 
your  grief,  desolation,  and  general  harass  and  anxiety.  Every  word 
of  your  letter  is  full  of  interest  to  me :  I  am  glad  that  poor  Lucy's 
last  day  was  of  diminished  rather  than  of  increased  suffering.  1 
already  knew  from  Mr.  Stewart  how  costly  an  undertaking  the 
removal  from  San  Remo  to  London  would  have  been,  but  I  can 
understand  the  pang  it  cost  you  to  leave  so  beloved  a  person 
behind.  .  .  . 

I  will  not  venture  to  say  that  I  regret  anything  in  Lucy's 
will,  and  I  will  not  suppose  it  possible  that  any  trouble  can  arise 
about  the  house.  If  for  any  reason  you  should  wish  entirely  to 
recast  your  plans,  I  remind  you  that  mine  are  wholly  unsettled, 
and  that,  if  any  combination  with  me  would  help  towards  an 
arrangement,  it  seems  probable  that  I  should  be  available — avail- 
able, that  is,  if  life  lasts  so  long.  But,  if  not,  I  have  the  comfort 
of  knowing  that  your  income  would  be  increased. 


i894— TO    WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  205 

Do  not  suppose  by  this  that  I  have  fresh  reason  to  anticipate 
a  speedy  end,  but  you  and  I  know  how  precarious  is  all  life  and 
how  doubly  precarious  mine  has  become.  Mr.  Stewart  detects 
progress  of  the  mischief,  but  I  understand  slow  progress.  And 
now  put  me  out  of  your  dear  old  thoughts  so  far  as  to  feel  that 
I  can  contentedly  wait  till  you  have  heart  and  leisure  to  look  me 
up :  you  will  not,  I  think,  distort  this  sentence  into  meaning  that 
I  do  not  care  to  see  you  ! 

My  love  to  my  nieces  and  nephew.  I  recollect  that  Mary's 
birthday  is  next  Sunday,  but  perhaps  you  might  come  before 
then;  otherwise  I  may  get  a  P.O. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[This  note  is  of  interest  to  me  as  being  the  last  that  I  received 
from  my  sister,  written  with  her  own  hand.  The  next  following 
(and  final)  one  was  dictated  to  her  nurse  Harriett  Read.  "  The 
Portfolio^'  must  be  the  monograph  on  Dante  Rossetti  written  by 
our  old  friend  Frederic  G.  Stephens.  The  present  note  is  an  ob- 
servably good  specimen  of  Christina's  always  good  handwriting.] 


30  TORRINGTON  SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.C. 

[21  June  1894.] 

My  dear  William, 

I  have  just  finished  reading  with  much  interest  the  Portfolio 
you  lent  me.  I  have  made  a  few  notes  on  points  here  and  there 
which  I  hope  to  submit  to  you  when  next  we  meet :  after  that,  I 
shall  be  ready  to  return  the  NP. 

This  lovely  summer  day  revives  the  world, — I  hope  it  revives  you. 
I  am  not  very  bright,  but  quite  tolerable  all  considered.  Eczema 
much  better  if  not  almost  gone. 

Love  all  round  your  circle. 


To  William  Rossetti. 

[The  details  in  this  note  were  sent  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  me 
correct  in  the  Memoir  of  D.  G.  Rossetti,  which  I  was  then  writing. 


2o6  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

Christina's  recollection  of  old  family-facts  was  more  precise  than 
mine,  and  was  noticeably  accurate.  Her  last  sentence,  however,  is  a 
little  jumbled,  as  she  and  our  mother  (not  as  yet  our  father)  had  gone 
down  to  Frome  before  27  April  1S53.] 


30  TORRINGTON   SQUARE. 

10  August  [1894]. 

My  dear  William, 

You  and  Maria  stayed  in  Arlington  Street  some  time 
after  we  had  left — till  I  believe  Christmas  1853.  I  think  you 
were  only  one  quarter  at  Burcham's,  and  certainly  we  all  rejoined 
company  about  Lady-day  in  Upper  Albany  Street.  Our  parents 
and  I  settled  at  Frome  not  long  after  the  27th  of  April  1853,  ^t 
which  date  our  Grandmother  died.     Glad  to  be  of  use. 


:(/ 


^^C^<^  l/iLtk^  /7^^-t^  yTf-z-r^  /i:rrr7,^^i.cTn.<xJ'  ^^Jit-^0^ 


yf/yi^  riTio^iy  /^^:.^H>iy  ^d^c-c^^i^  'TT-^^ay  ? 

Vw^By^^  d^r-v-t'L  /^  lCC'  ^  o-C^  L/-  fd^A^^  ■^^^-t^^'  It/c-c^^ 

Facsimile  of  a  Poem  by  Christina  Rossetti. 

[  To  face  /.  206. 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  207 


APPENDIX 


I.  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  William  M.  Rossetti,  1871-95. 

1 87 1.  February  18.  Locker  and  Cincinnatus  Miller,  a  Californian 
whom  Locker  made  known  to  me,  also  Stillman,  came  to 
Euston  Square :  the  former  two  were  introduced  to  Christina, 
whom  they  more  especially  wished  to  know. 

,,  April  25.  Christina  has  for  some  days  past  been  suffering 
from  neuralgia  (so  her  doctor  says),  and  looking  very  much  out 
of  condition.     Dr.  Jenner  advises  her  to  get  change  of  air. 

„  May  5.  Christina's  illness  still  extremely  serious  ;  I  feel  more 
alarmed  about  it  to-day  than  heretofore.  Sir  William  Jenner 
says  there  is  "  no  immediate  danger,"  and  at  his  late  visit  to-day 
reassured  Mamma  a  little — but  only  a  little.  He  orders 
Christina  to  keep  her  bed  strictly,  which  I  have  thought  for 
several  days  would  be  the  best  thing ;  hitherto  she  has  got  up 
regularly,  but  done  little  or  nothing  more,  save  lying  on  the 
sofa. 

,,  May  15.  Obtained  some  specimens  of  the  wood-designs  of 
F.  A.  Eraser,  whom  Dalziels  propose  for  illustrating  Christina's 
book  \_Si?igsoiig\.  I  don't  think  him,  from  the  evidence  of  these 
designs,  at  all  a  desirable  man.  Wrote  to  Dalziels  to  say  so, 
and  strongly  recommended  that  Hughes  should  be  invited. 

„  June  6,  To-day,  at  last,  Christina  was  sufficiently  convalescent 
to  be  moved  off  to  Hampstead — 17  Christ  Church  Road;  the 
doctor  wishes  her  to  go  on  to  the  sea-side  pretty  soon. 

„  July  20.  Mamma  and  Christina  returned  to-day  from 
Hampstead.  Christina  has  certainly  made  some  degree  of 
progress,  though  still  far  from  set-up  in  health. 

,,  October  19.  Brown  called.  I  showed  him  the  proofs  of 
Christina's  Singsong,  with  Hughes's  illustrations.  He  was 
singularly  pleased  with  both ;  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  the 
poems  are  about  Christina's  finest  things,  and  Hughes  the  first 
of  living  book-illustrators. 


2o8  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

1 87 1.  October  26.  Christina  (whose  health  continues  unsatisfactory, 
though  much  less  bad  than  during  the  spring  and  summer) 
consulted  Dr.  Fox  to-day.  He  says  that  the  circulation  is  out 
of  order,  and  prescribes  digitalis. 

„  November  5.  Dr.  Wilson  Fox  called  to  see  Christina,  who 
has  been  particularly  unwell  these  two  days.  He  does  not 
seem  to  consider  her  state  different  from  what  it  was  before, 
but  has  made  some  modification  in  the  digitalis  medicine.  He 
says  that  the  external  swelling  in  her  throat  (he  does  not  define  it 
by  any  particular  name)  is  a  sort  of  thing  prevalent  in  some  parts 
of  England — as  for  instance  Derbyshire  ;  also  that  it  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  difficulty  in  swallowing,  which  is  now  one  of  the 
most  troublesome  details  of  Christina's  illness.  This,  he  says, 
depends  upon  spasmodic  nervous  action.  He  says  nothing  as 
to  the  probable  duration  of  the  swelling. 

„  November  13.  Brown's  family  and  Hughes  dined  at  Cheyne 
Walk.  .  .  .  Hughes  says  that  the  illustrating  of  Christina's  book 
took  up  his  whole  time  for  a  while.  At  first  he  worked  tolerably 
leisurely,  but  after  a  certain  time  Dalziels  asked  him  to  furnish 
ten  designs  per  week  :  he  furnished  twenty  the  first  time. 

„  November  16.  Poor  Christina  continues  in  a  very  deplorable 
state.  Besides  her  two  standing  maladies,  both  of  which  seem 
for  the  time  to  be  kept  tolerably  in  abeyance,  she  has  the 
external  lump  on  the  throat,  which  shows  no  signs  of  going,  and 
of  late  a  sort  of  fluttering  at  the  heart  {not,  it  would  seem,  regular 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  or  other  definite  heart-disease)  which 
incommodes  her,  producing  a  kind  of  stifling  or  fainting  tendency 
from  time  to  time,  compelling  her  to  desist  from  any  occupation, 
and  lie  down.  She  often  passes  bad  nights,  which  seldom 
befell  her  heretofore.  Frequent  headaches  of  a  very  aggravated 
kind  are  another  trouble  :  these  she  thinks  are  mitigated  by  the 
early  tea  with  brandy  which  the  doctor  makes  her  take.  He 
calls  the  heart-symptoms  "accelerated  circulation."  As  regard 
appearance,  she  is  a  total  wreck  for  the  present,  and  I  greatly 
fear  this  change  may  prove  permanent ;  her  hair  also  comes  off  in 
a  distressing  way,  and  she  expects  to  have  to  take  to  caps  almost 
immediately.  .  .  .  With  all  these  disasters — and  she  is  fully 
alive  to  every  one  of  them — her  spirits  are  not  so  bad  as  might 
have  been  expected ;  she  shows  a  really  admirable  constancy, 
and  the  worst  shafts  of  Fate  find  her  their  equal.  Another  of 
Christina's  troubles  now  is  the  continual  shaking  of  her  hands. 
This  has  quite  spoiled  her  handwriting,  which  is  so  shaky  now 
that  it  might  be  the  work  of  a  woman  of  75. 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  209 

187 1.  November  18.  Christina's  book,  Singsong,  was  sent  to  her 
to-day.  The  general  publication  of  it  will  take  place,  I  under- 
stand, within  two  or  three  days.  It  ought  to  be  a  great  selling 
success,  and  even  perhaps  7nay  be.  She  is  to  get  10  per  cent, 
on  every  copy  sold ;  it  seems  there  is  no  stipulation  as  to  any 
conjuncture  at  which  this  arrangement  would  terminate. 

„  November  24.  Dr.  Fox,  having  called  again  to  see  Mamma, 
entered  into  some  details  regarding  Christina's  illness.  The 
thing  that  is  essentially  the  matter  with  her  now  is  connected 
with  the  heart  (as  previously  indicated),  though  not  amounting 
strictly  to  heart-disease.  The  swelling  outside  the  throat  and 
other  symptoms  depend  on  this  same  malady.  It  is  a  very  rare 
one :  so  rare  that  Dr.  Fox  has  seen  only  two  cases  of  it  (one 
of  which  he  treated  successfully),  and  Sir  William  Jenner,  I 
understand,  has  also  only  seen  two  cases.  Sir  William  has 
concurred  in  the  treatment  of  Christina  as  conducted  as  yet  by 
Dr.  Fox. 

„  November  25.  Sir  William  Jenner  (just  back  from  Balmoral) 
visited  Christina,  and  gave  minute  attention  to  her  case.  He 
confirms  what  Dr.  Fox  said  about  the  complaint,  and  adds  that 
there  is  a  change  in  the  colour  of  the  skin-pigment ;  this  indeed 
is  sufficiently  evident,  though  I  had  not  noticed  it  as  going 
beyond  what  might  be  ascribed  to  Christina's  extreme  thinness 
now,  and  depressed  condition  of  health.  Jenner  clearly  regards 
the  case  as  a  serious  one,  and  says  Christina  ought  not  to  go  up 
and  down  stairs,  in  the  present  state  of  her  heart,  but  should  be 
confined  to  one  floor.  She  has  for  this  fortnight  or  more  been 
sleeping  in  the  same  room  as  Mamma,  the  back  drawing-room. 
She  will  now  therefore  restrict  herself  to  the  back  and  front 
drawing-rooms. 

„  December  11.  Swinburne  comphmented  Maria  very  warmly 
on  her  book  upon  Dante,  and  is  (as  a  letter  of  his  had 
shown  us  some  days  ago)  most  enthusiastic  about  Christina's 
book. 

„  December  14.  Dr.  Fox  saw  Christina  again  to-day,  and 
pronounces  her  progressively  and  even  considerably  improving. 
To-day,  indeed — for  the  first  time  to  any  serious  extent — she 
strikes  me  as  looking  decidedly  not  quite  so  miserable  in  the 
face.  There  seems  some  little  diminution  of  the  thinness, 
starting  eyes,  &c. 

1872.  March  16.  Christina  is  miserably  exhausted  now,  as  to  all 
such  matters  as  appetite,  strength,  &c.,  causing  us  all  grave 
anxiety;  yet  it  seems  that  the  lump  outside  the  throat  has 
14 


2IO  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

diminished,  and  the  spasmodic  difficulty  in  swallowing  is  also 

less. 

1872.  March  21.     Sir  William  Jenner  called  again.     He  told  Maria 

that  the  disease  Christina  suffers  from,  exophthalmic  broncho- 

cele,  is  one  from  which  the  patient  more  generally  recovers  : 

the  chief  danger  is  exhaustion.     Of  this,  unfortunately,  there 

have  been  of  late  very  distressing  symptoms  in  Christina — 

almost  total  want  of  appetite,  prostration  of  strength,  and  very 

frequent  vomiting.     The  last  was  particularly  bad  yesterday. 

„      April   16.     Maria  says    that,  having  to-day  seen  Christina's 

throat  uncovered,  she  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  how  very 

much  the  external   swelling  (once  so  large)  has  diminished. 

One  might  now  almost  take  the  throat  for  its  natural  shape ; 

the  discolouration  is  also  less  marked. 

,,      April  21.     The  doctors  recommend  Christina  to  keep  her  bed 

(which,  indeed,  I  have  frequently  thought  and  said  would  be 

the  better  course) ;  and,  as  she  can't  take  natural  nourishment 

at  ordinary  times,  they  direct  that  every  two  hours,  day  and 

night,  unless  she  is  asleep,  she  shall  take  some  small  modicum 

of  food. 

„      May    I.     Christina's   illness   seems    to   have   taken   rather  a 

peculiar  effect  on  her   mind.      It  necessarily  diminishes  her 

powers  of  continuous  attention,  but  appears  to  have  disposed 

her  in  some  increased  degree  to  reading  books  conveying  some 

sort  of  positive  knowledge,  such  as  history — all  of  which  class 

of  reading  has  been  almost  wholly  neglected  by  her  all   her 

lifetime.     She  has  just  got  Mamma  to  read  through  to  her 

Southey's  Life  of  Nelson,  and  is  herself  reading  Goldsmith's 

History  of  Greece — neither  of  them  certainly  a  work  of  arid  or 

profound  learning,  but  still  the  sort  of  thing  that  Christina 

has  mostly  steered   clear  of  as  yet.     She  thinks  of  reading 

Herodotus. 

,,      May  15.     We  felt  very  uneasy  about  Christina  all  the  earlier 

part  of  the  day,  as,  although  she  had  slept  well  in  the  night, 

she  w^as  in  a  terribly  low  condition,  accompanied  with  frequent 

vomitings.     Sir  William  Jenner  called  again,  without  saying 

anything  very  particular.     In  the  later  part  of  the  evening 

Christina   had   revived   to   some   extent,   and   seemed   pretty 

much  at  her  usual  level,  and  she  again  passed  a  good  night. 

I  have  great  apprehensions  as  to  the  result,  however — perhaps 

at  no  distant  date — for  there  seems  to  be  no  real  rally  of 

physical   energy  now  for   months   past,   and   the   process   of 

exhaustion  proceeds  with  fatal  and  frightful  steadiness.     What 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  211 

shows  least  trace  of  disease  in  Christina  now  is  her  voice 
(which  had  indeed  altered  some  while  ago,  but  that  passed  off). 
She  speaks  with  much  the  same  tone,  animation,  and  general 
manner,  as  of  old,  and  with  equal  readiness  on  any  subject 
that  is  uppermost,  and  her  strength  of  mind  continues  to 
maintain  an  admirable  triumph  over  all  physical  suffering  and 
prostration. 

1873.  January  26.  One  of  the  most  annoying  outward  symptoms 
of  Christina's  illness,  the  enormous  protrusion  of  the  eyes, 
is  now  very  sensibly  diminished ;  this  diminution  has  been 
going  on  for  some  while  past,  but  I  am  more  particularly  struck 
with  the  stage  it  has  reached  just  now.  The  swelling  at  the 
throat  is  also  so  far  subdued  as  to  excite  no  particular  attention 
when  Christina  is  dressed. 
„  March  ig.  Joaquin  Miller  looked  me  up  at  Somerset  House, 
and  left  with  me  the  remaining  proofs  of  his  forthcoming 
volume.  He  showed  me  the  dedication,  "  To  the  Rossettis." 
I  strongly  recommended  him  to  write  direct  to  Gabriel  as  to 
the  matter  before  anything  further  is  done.  I  mentioned  the 
dedication  to  Christina.  She  feels  some  hesitation  in  sanction- 
ing it,  not  knowing  what  the  book  may  contain.  If  she  makes 
up  her  mind  to  object,  she  is  to  write  to  Miller.  I  looked 
through  the  proofs  and  noted  down  some  remarks  on  them. 
They  include  a  series  of  poems  about  Christ,  named  Olive 
Leaves,  implying  a  sort  of  religious,  or  at  least  personal, 
enthusiasm,  mixed  up  with  a  good  deal  that  has  more  relation 
to  a  sense  of  the  picturesque  than  of  the  devotional.  These 
poems,  though  far  from  worthless  from  their  own  point  of  view, 
are  very  defective,  and  would,  I  think,  be  highly  obnoxious  to 
many  readers  and  reviewers.  I  have  suggested  to  Miller  the 
expediency  of  omitting  them  altogether. — Christina,  I  find,  has 
already  read  these  particular  poems,  and  to  some  considerable 
extent  Hkes  them,  which  is  so  far  in  their  favour  as  affecting 
religious  readers. 

1876.  October  i.  My  mother  and  Christina  removed  from  our 
house,  56  Euston  Square,  and  went  to  live  along  with  my 
two  aunts  at  30  Torrington  Square. 

1 88 1.  December  15.  Christina  called  on  Gabriel  to-day.  She 
found  him  passive  and  inclined  to  doze.^  Marshall  has  not 
yet  appeared,  but  seemed  certain  to  do  so  in  the  course  of 
the  day. 

1  This  was  consequent  upon  that  seizure  of  a  quasi-paralytic  kind  which  was  one 
of  the  later  stages  of  Gabriel's  fatal  illness. 


212  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

1882.  February  8.  Mamma  seems  now  as  well  as  usual :  would  like, 
with  Christina,  to  join  Gabriel  at  Birchington,  but  her  doctor, 
Stewart,  will  not  allow  her  to  do  this  until  the  weather  becomes 
milder. 

„  February  28.  Mamma  and  Christina  expect  to  go  down  on 
Thursday  to  Birchington,  to  stay  awhile  with  Gabriel.  I 
mentioned  to  Christina  the  proposal  made  by  Ingram — that 
she  should  contribute  to  a  series  of  Biographies  of  Women 
of  which  he  is  to  be  editor,  and  more  especially  that  she 
should  write  a  life  of  Adelaide  Procter :  sum  to  be  paid  in 
each  instance,  ^S'^-  She  is  quite  willing  to  enter  into  this 
arrangement :  does  not  particularly  want  to  do  Adelaide  Procter, 
but  has  no  real  objection  either.  Would  like  to  do  Mrs. 
Browning,!  which  would  indeed  be  highly  suitable.  Both  she 
and  I  will  now  write  to  Ingram  to  settle  matters. 

„  September  6.  Christina  handed  me  some  eight  or  nine  letters 
of  Gabriel's  addressed  to  herself- — all  of  them  belonging  to  his 
last  few  months — which  she  would  not  mind  having  published 
if  wanted :  all  others,  except  perhaps  some  few  handed  over 
to  Mamma,  she  destroyed  (as  I  knew  must  have  been  the 
case). 

„  October  11.  Christina  showed  me,  in  a  halfpenny  magazine 
published  by  the  Society  for  the  Pron>otion  of  Christian 
Knowledge,  two  little  sketches  she  wrote  lately  narrating  facts 
regarding  two  poor  families  of  her  acquaintance,  the  Meaders 
and  Bakers.  She  completed  not  long  ago  a  book  on  The 
Commandments,  and  it  now  lies  with  the  same  Society  for 
consideration,  and  one  may  surmise  publication. 

1883.  December  7.  Another  death  to  which  some  of  us  are  far 
from  indifferent.  Christina  came  to  Somerset  House,  and 
informed  me  that — as  she  was  told  this  morning  by  his  brother 
and  sister-in-law — Cayley  was  on  Wednesday  found  dead  from 
heart-disease  :  I  would  not  press  her  to  dwell  upon  details,  so  I 
know  little  of  the  facts  beyond  this.  I  had  not  been  aware  that 
Cayley  suffered  at  all  from  heart-disease,  although  the  settled 
and  rather  hard  high  colour  in  his  cheeks  may  have  been 
symptomatic.  The  family,  it  appears,  would  like  some  mention 
of  Cayley  to  appear  in  print.  I  will  most  willingly  write  a 
paragraph  for  T/ie  Athenceum^  and  Lucy  seems  rather  disposed  to 

'  This  project  lapsed.  Christina  would  not  write  about  Mrs.  Browning  unless 
with  the  sanction  of  Robert  Browning  :  and  this  sanction  was  not  forthcomings — I 
think  never  asked  for. 

'•*  These  letters  were  handed  over  with  a  view  to  my  including  them  in  a  volume 
of  Gabriel's  family-letters. 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  213 

forward  one  for  The  Times  through  Hueffer.    Cayley  was  a  rare 
model  of  a  retiring,  single-minded  scholar ;  cheerfully  absorbed 
in  literary,  especially  semi-philological,  studies,  and  sociable  too 
in  a  shy  way — little  concerned  in  anything  else.    I  saw  him  last 
on  this  day  week,  when,  on   going   to  Torrington  Square,   I 
found  him  taking  the  fourth  hand  in  a  game  of  whist  with  the 
family.     Had  also   seen  him  the   preceding  day  at  Somerset 
House,  when  he  called  to  inquire  whether  I  possessed  a  certain 
dialogue  by  Galileo. 
1883.  December  8.     Lucy  went  round  to  Torrington  Square,  and 
heard  from  Christina  some  more  details  about  Cayley.     On 
5  December  he  retired  to  rest  as  usual :  on  the  6th  he  was 
found  dead  in  his   bed,   without   the   slightest   trace   of  any 
struggle  or  agitation.     He  is  to  be  buried  at  Hastings,  by  his 
mother's  side. 
„      December  12.     Lucy  took  round  to  Christina  three  notices  of 
Cayley   which   have   appeared   in   newspapers — Times,   Daily 
News,  and  Manchester  Guardian.     It  is  curious  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  notices  of  Cayley  (in  fact,  all  that  I  know  of) 
derive  from  one  or  other  member  of  our  own  families.     The 
Times  was  done  by  Hueffer,  at  Lucy's  suggestion ;  Daily  Hews 
from  Times ;  Manchester  Guardian  by,  or  at  the  instance  of, 
Brown ;  and  the  comparatively  long  notice  which  I  expect  The 
Athenczum  to  contain  will  be  mine. 
„      December  18.     Christina  writes  me  that  Cayley  left  her  by 
will  the  extant  remainders  of  his  published  books. 
1886.  March  i.     My   mother   seems  to  me  a  little  worse   to-day  : 
voice  less  natural  and  less  under  control.     The  doctor  (Stewart) 
speaks  of  a  shock  to  the  spine,  such  as  one  hears  of  in  railway- 
accidents.     Christina  bears  up  with  great  fortitude  and  exterior 
cheerfulness. 
,,      April  1 1.     My  dearest  mother,  the  pattern  to  me  of  everything 
that  is  simple,  sweet,  kind,  and  noble,  died  on  8  April  at  25 
minutes  past  noon.     She  had  been  unconscious  for  a  couple  of 
days  or  more,  and  expired  in  great  peace,  without  any  strain  or 
agitation.    Present — Christina,  myself,  Stewart  the  doctor  (who 
came  in  at  the  very  last  moment),  and  the  nurse  Annie  Jackson, 
whom  Christina  found  exceedingly  attentive  and  agreeable. 
„      April  12.     The  funeral:  the  first  portion  (and  most  of  the 
second)  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Nash  at  Christ  Church,  Woburn 
Square ;  second   portion   repeated   at  Highgate  Cemetery  by 
him.     My  mother  lies  in  the  same  grave  with  my  father  and 
Gabriel's    wife.      Present    in    the    church — Christina,    Eliza, 


214  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

Hueffer,  Cathy,  and  myself;  also  four  or  five  servants  Szc, 
including  old  Sarah  Catchpole.  In  the  cemetery,  the  same 
except  Eliza :  she  returned  home  to  keep  company  with 
Charlotte,  who  is  utterly  weak  and  ill  in  bed — I  think  at 
death's  door.  In  the  afternoon  Christina  produced  the  will, 
of  which  she  is  executrix :  it  leaves  (practically)  everything  to 
her,  save  for  ^loo  to  me.  This  I  consider  right.  Christina 
says  she  wishes  to  compensate  me,  when  her  means  allow,  for 
her  maintenance  during  the  many  years  when  she  was  sub- 
stantially dependent  on  me— say  1854  to  1876.  She  fixes  a 
sum  of  ;^2ooo,  which  is  certainly  more  than  the  actual  amount. 
I  have  no  serious  rai's/t  that  she  should  do  this — also  certainly 
no  objection :  I  therefore  expressed  my  assent.  But  I  don't 
understand  that  Christina  contemplates  giving  any  effect  to  this 
arrangement  at  present.  She  will  inherit,  I  understand,  some- 
thing less  than  ^4000  from  our  mother,  and  this  sum  could 
not  be  cut  down  in  any  such  way. 

1 886.  October  4.  Christina  dined  with  us — an  incident  perhaps 
unprecedented  these  four  years.  Christina  looked  through  my 
preface  to  Gabriel's  Collected  Works,  and  told  me  that  she 
considers  I  have  given  an  accurate  and  telling  sketch  of  his 
character  &c. 

1S87.  January  17.  Called  on  Christina,  who  wrote  me  a  few  days 
ago  to  the  effect  that  she  is  about  to  re-make  her  will,  and 
means  me  to  be  sole  legatee,  subject  to  some  temporary  con- 
ditions. She  explained  to  me  what  these  conditions  would  be 
— not  onerous.  I  can  see  that  she  regards  her  tenure  of  life  as 
very  fragile  :  she  even  speaks  of  our  aged  and  infirm  aunts 
being  probably  her  survivors.  What  the  precise  illness  is  I 
don't  gather :  it  is  connected  with  the  heart  (as  of  old),  but 
does  not  at  present  involve  those  suffocating-fits  which  used  to 
be  so  alarming.  She  has  seen  Jenner  several  times  of  late : 
were  she  unable  to  call  on  him,  his  attendance  upon  her  would 
cease,  and  she  would  consult  either  Gill  or  Stewart.  Of  course 
it  may  well  be  that  she  yet  takes  a  decided  turn  for  the  better. 
The  prospect  of  death  is  not,  I  think,  in  the  least  alarming  to 
her — on  the  contrary,  consolatory. 
„  April  2.  I  saw  Christina  who,  since  returning  from  Torquay, 
seems  to  have  remained  nearly  stationary  in  point  of  health — 
perhaps  a  trifle  less  well.  She  says  that  her  income  this  year  has 
amounted  to  about  ^^300 — more  than  she  had  reckoned  upon. 
„  April  24.  Olive  has  now  finished  turning  into  blank  verse  her 
little  drama  of  Theseus:  Christina  coached  her  up  somewhat 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  215 

while  at  Brighton  last  autumn,  and  I  have  set  some  lines  right, 
but  only  to  a  moderate  extent. 

1887.  July  3.  I  called  in  the  evening  to  inquire  after  my  Aunt 
Charlotte,  and  I  saw  her  for  a  minute  or  two.  She  seems  to 
have  again  taken  a  turn  for  the  worse,  and,  to  judge  by  appear- 
ances, might  be  accounted  very  near  her  end :  however,  the 
reserve  of  vitality  and  strength  has  evidently  been  very  great, 
and  possibly  it  so  continues.  Christina  tells  me  Charlotte  has 
left  to  her  an  amount  of  money  about  double  what  she  has  left 
to  Eliza.  This,  however,  is  on  the  understanding  that  Chris- 
tina will  continue  keeping  up  certain  benefactions  &c.  which 
Charlotte  had  at  heart,  especially  to  the  Polidori  family  in 
Florence  :  insomuch  that  Christina  regards  about  half  of  the 
money  left  to  her  as  being  practically  trust-money,  and  to  be 
still  applied  as  such  (more  or  less)  even  after  Christina's  own 
decease.  I  recommended  her  to  carry  out  (of  course)  with 
strict  faithfulness  whatever  is  really  incumbent  upon  her  in  this 
regard ;  but  not  to  indulge  in  mere  fancies  and  wire-drawings, 
such  as  mere  voluntary  largesses  to  the  Polidoris,  or  continuance 
of  this  full  allowance  (some  ;^40  p. a.)  after  the  widow  (Amalia) 
of  Filippo  Polidori  shall  have  ceased  to  live.  In  especial,  I 
dissuaded  her  from  trenching  on  the  capital  sum — a  course 
which  she  seemed  inclined  to  adopt  without  much  reluctance 
should  it  serve  some  ostensible  convenience. 

1890.  Januarys.  My  venerable  Aunt  Charlotte  died  this  afternoon : 
she  was  87  last  May.  For  uniform  placid  sweetness  of  temper 
and  manner,  complaisance,  and  pleasing  moderation  of  character 
and  feeling,  I  certainly  never  knew  her  superior — indeed  not 
her  equal.  Her  abilities  were  of  an  ordinary  stamp — no 
marked  degree  or  tendency  of  faculty  in  any  direction.  The 
news  of  my  aunt's  death  reached  me  from  Christina.  .  .  . 
The  last  day  when  I  saw  Charlotte  may  have  been  towards 
15  December.  She  then  presented  an  appearance  of  more  ill- 
health  and  depression  than  usual,  and  her  memory  was  infirm 
and  treacherous.  For  the  most  part,  although  almost  wholly 
bed-ridden  since  about  May  1887,  she  has  looked  surprisingly 
well — placid,  and  even  cheerful  in  countenance  (though  I  have 
constantly  understood  from  Christina  that  Charlotte  was  very 
wishful  for  death),  clear  in  complexion,  and  firm  in  flesh :  one 
could  hardly  believe  her  arm  and  hand  to  be  those  of  a  more 
than  octogenarian.  I  am  executor  along  with  Eliza  :  of  course 
I  shall  have  practically  to  act  alone. 
,,      January  16.     This  afternoon  I  handed  over  the  will  to  the 


2i6  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

solicitor  who  drew  it  up,  Mr.  Turner,  in  order  that  he  may  take 
the  requisite  steps.  The  main  provisions  of  the  will  are  these  : 
House  in  Endsleigh  Gardens  to  me  ;  personal  effects  and  ;^ioo 
to  Eliza ;  residue  between  Eliza,  one  third,  and  Christina,  two- 
thirds.  I  have  gathered  in  talk  with  Christina  that  the  total 
value  will  probably  exceed  ;j{^5ooo. 
1892.  May  26.  A  dreadful  complication  in  Christina's  condition  of 
ill-health  came  to  a  crisis  yesterday.^  With  deep  thankfulness 
I  can  say  that  as  yet  all  seems  to  go  on  perfectly  and  even 
surprisingly  well.  The  future  cannot  but  remain  overcast ;  but 
(a  proverb  which  has  often  yielded  me  some  consolation  my  life 
through)  "  sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof."  Christina 
has  borne  herself  like  a  heroine  in  this  matter :  I  first  knew  of 
it  from  heron  Friday  last.  I  was  in  her  house  from  i|  p.m.  on 
Wednesday  to  gh  a.m.  on  Thursday.  Stewart,  Lawson,  Bailey. 
.  .  .  Christina  had  had  ever  since  29  December  some  idea  of 
what  was  in  prospect  for  her. 

„  May  28.  Saw  Christina  for  some  twenty  minutes  in  the  after- 
noon. She  is  placid  and  comparatively  comfortable — free  from 
any  positive  pain,  allowing  for  a  certain  not  quite  easy  sensation 
in  the  left  shoulder.  I  also^saw  the  surgeon,  Lawson,  for  a  few 
minutes :  he  says  everything  went  as  well  as  could  be,  and  for 
the  present  all  the  prospects  are  satisfactory. 

„  June  12.  Called  on  Christina,  and  for  the  first  time  found 
her  seated  in  a  chair.  Sat  talking  with  her  more  (I  suppose) 
than  1 1  hour,  partly  on  religious  matters.  Was  sorry  to  learn 
that  last  night  a  touch  of  rather  sharp  pain  woke  her  up.  It 
passed  off  rapidly,  and  she  does  not  know  what  it  really  in- 
dicated. To-day  she  mentioned  it  to  Mr.  Lawson,  who  seemed 
to  pass  it  over  as  of  no  importance :  this  may  perhaps  be  his 
last  visit,  but  Christina  is  not  sure  as  to  this  point.  His  fee  is 
to  be  ;i^52.  loi-.  (as  settled  by  Stewart) — which  seems  very 
ample.  Christina  does  not  know  with  any  accuracy  when  she 
can  go  off  (as  is  proposed)  to  Brighton.  I  expect  to  accom- 
pany her.  I  had  to  write  to-day  to  G.  F.  Watts,  explaining 
that  his  offer  to  paint  Christina's  portrait,  to  be  given  to  the 
nation  among  the  others  of  his  gift,  cannot  be  further  taken  into 
account  for  the  present :  a  disappointment  to  me,  and  no 
doubt,  to  some  extent,  to  Christina  herself. 

„  September  5.  Called  to  see  Christina — still  on  the  sofa  in  the 
drawing-room.     She  feels  better,  and   the  doctor  says  she  is 

*  The  crisis  (which  I  did  not  then  choose  to  put  into  words)  was  the  operation 
for  cancer. 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  217 

better.  Nevertheless,  as  the  nurse-servant  Harriett  informed 
me  on  my  going  down-stairs,  the  doctor  has  left  a  special 
message  for  me,  to  the  effect  that  the  condition  of  Christina's 
heart  is  such  as  to  give  cause  for  grave  apprehensions,  and  one 
ought  to  be  prepared  for  whatever  may  happen.  It  is  not  for 
the  present  any  recurrence  of  the  other  disease  which  caused  so 
much  anxiety  in  May.  She  was  lately  invited  by  the  widow  of 
Canon  Burrows  to  write  a  prefatory  or  other  memoir  of  him, 
but  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  decline,  owing  to  the  state  of 
her  health. 

1892.  September  9.  Christina  seems  some  trifle  better  to-day :  she 
was  to  leave  her  bed  in  the  evening  for  the  sofa  in  the  drawing- 
room.  Dr.  James,  with  whom  Lucy  conversed,  says  the 
disease  is  in  the  nature  of  angina  pectoris,  but  not  that  form 
of  the  malady  which  entails  acute  pain.  This  is  an  illness 
which  afflicted  Christina  at  a  very  early  age — say  19  to  23  :  Dr. 
Crellin  then  cured  it.  At  least  he  called  it  angina  pectoris, 
although  of  late  years  I  have  been  told  now  and  again  that  that 
cannot  well  have  been  angina  pectoris,  as  a  cure  could  not  well 
have  been  hoped  for. 

1893.  March  3.  Called  on  Christina.  It  seems  to  be  now  only 
too  certain  that  the  illness  from  which  she  suffered  in  April 
and  May  last  is  recurring — though  as  yet  no  definite  steps  to 
cope  with  it  have  been  taken  or  announced.  There  is  not  any 
severe  pain, — so  she  says.  The  matter  of  the  heart-disease  is 
kept  tolerably  well  in  check  for  the  present.  A  wretchedly 
painful  affair  this. 

,,  June  26.  Called  on  Christina,  who  looks  rather  well,  and 
feels  perhaps  hardly  worse  than  usual.  She  is  executrix  to  my 
Aunt  Eliza's  will.  My  aunt  left  me  a  legacy  of  ^^650  and 
(after  various  charitable  bequests,  about  p^  1,500)  the  residue 
to  Christina.  Christina,  as  she  told  me  when  last  I  called 
previously,  means  as  executrix  to  assign  to  me  shares,  nominally 
^^650,  in  the  West  Middlesex  Waterworks.  Each  p^ioo  share 
counts  at  present  for  ;^2  6o  :  so  that  this  amounts  in  fact  to  a 
gift  of  ;^i,o4o  from  Christina,  besides  the  legacy  of  jQ^S^-  ^ 
very  liberal  sisterly  act. 

„  July  30.  Christina  suffers,  but  not  acutely,  from  the  illness 
which  developed  itself  dangerously  towards  April  1892,  and 
also  from  serious  weakness  of  the  heart.  Her  condition  is 
certainly  most  precarious;  yet  she  goes  on  from  month  to 
month  without  apparent  complications  of  the  graver  kind,  and 
her  looks  are  mostly  not  amiss.     She  can  get  out  of  doors  a 


2i8  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

very  little — as  for  instance  to  sit  awhile  in  the  Square-enclosure. 
She  can  attend  to  her  small  household  affairs,  reading,  medi- 
tating, letter-writing,  &c. ;  and  on  the  whole  manages  to  get 
through  the  day  with  placid  contentment,  or  resignation,  and 
not  (I  think)  with  any  extreme  tedium  or  lowness  of  spirits. 
As  residual  legatee  of  my  Aunt  Eliza  she  will  have  come  in  for 
some  p{^4,ioo,  more  or  less.  She  has  more  than  once  told  me 
that  she  regards  her  recent  book.  The  Face  of  the  Deep,  as 
probably  her  final  performance. 

1 893.  September  29.  Drew  cheque  to  pay  Christina  her  share  for  the 
last  quarter  of  money  coming  from  Gabriel's  books  &c.  This 
reduces  my  bank-balance  below  ^76 — a  lower  ebb  perhaps 
than  it  ever  reached  before.  I  had  been  expecting  to  have  to 
sell-out  a  goodish  sum  from  my  little  investments  in  order  to 
meet  the  demands  for  Lucy's  travelling  abroad  &c. :  this  how- 
ever is  staved  off  for  the  present  by  a  gift  of  ;£ioo  made  to 
Lucy  the  other  day  by  Christina — who  puts  it  on  the  ground 
that  our  mother  had  wished  to  leave  a  like  sum  to  Lucy, 
but  had  not  found  it  manageable.  This  of  course  is  true,  in 
its  direct  sense  :  not  less  true  is  it  that  Christina  has  acted  from 
a  spontaneous  impulse  of  good-feeling,  wishing  to  do  what  is  a 
substantial  accommodation  to  Lucy  and  me  just  now. 

1894.  February  16.  Called  on  Christina,  who  continues  at  a  low 
average  of  health.  I  learn  that,  when  she  was  paid,  some 
months  ago,  the  stipulated  price  of  her  book.  The  Face  of  the 
Deep,  she  voluntarily  returned  the  money.  She  has  since 
then  ceased  to  be  a  subscriber  to  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  on  the  ground  (much  talked  of)  of  their 
having  published  a  book  countenancing  Vivisection. 

„  July  24.  Called  on  Christina,  whose  state  is  now  one  of 
considerable  suffering,  and  I  fear  rapidly  becoming  critical. 
Stewart  came  while  I  was  there,  and  I  spoke  to  him. 

,,  August  15.  Went  to  see  Christina.  She  is  now  in  bed,  and 
I  greatly  fear  will  not  rise  again.  Spoke  to  Stewart,  who  gives 
a  very  gloomy  and  alarming  account  of  her  condition.  I  don't 
care  to  enter  into  the  details. 

„  August  19.  Went  to  see  Christina.  Her  bed  is  now  removed 
into  the  front  drawing-room.  She  was  not  in  pain  to  any 
serious  extent,  but  drowsy — must  have  had  a  sleeping-draught. 
Religious  bequests.^ 

'  By  this  curt  phrase  I  meant  that  Christina  had  asked  me,  as  her  universal 
legatee,  to  provide  for  certain  religious  bequests  which  she  had  at  heart.  I 
assented,  and  have  made  some  mention  of  the  matter  in  my  Reminiscences, 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  219 

1894.  August  23.  I  called  on  Christina.  Very  low,  but  compara- 
tively free  from  pain.  Religious  bequests  noted,  ^2,000. 
Again  spoke  to  Stewart.  He  dwelt  to-day  chiefly  on  functional 
irregularity  (not  organic  disease)  of  the  heart,  and  hysteria — to 
which  he  has  more  than  once  told  me  that  Christina  is  extremely 
subject,  though  I  can't  say  that  I  should  have  discerned  it  for 
myself. 

„  September  3.  Saw  Christina.  Gradual,  though  not  very 
marked,  worsening.    A  little  earnest  talk  on  matters  of  religion. 

,,  September  6.  Went  to  see  Christina.  She  was  very  low  and 
exhausted,  so  that  I  had  to  cut  my  visit  short.  I  am  afraid 
to-day  that  she  looks  distinctly  worse  in  the  face  than  I  had  as 
yet  seen  her.     "  I  should  like  to  see  you  there."  ^ 

„  September  8.  Saw  Christina.  She  was  very  considerably 
better — /.  e.  less  prostrated  by  weakness  &c. — than  when  I  was 
with  her  on  Thursday ;  but  of  course  there  is  not  any  real 
change  of  condition  for  the  better.  Form  of  religious  bequests 
fully  approved. 

„  September  15.  Saw  Christina,  and  read  the  terms  of  my  will 
to  her.  I  regret  to  say  that  her  pain  continues  on  the  increase, 
though  she  perseveres,  as  always,  in  making  the  lightest  she  can 
of  it.  Stewart,  whom  I  met  there,  thinks  the  disease  is  now 
tending  towards  a  lingering  form. 

,,  September  18.  Saw  Christina.  Much  as  usual,  but  I  think  a 
little  weaker  now  in  voice  and  aspect.  Stewart  said  to  me, 
however  (and  so  far  I  quite  agree  with  him),  "  Her  face  is 
certainly  not  that  of  a  dying  person." 

„  September  30.  Saw  Christina.  Suffering  and  weak,  but 
perfectly  conversible.  She  never  utters  a  syllable  of  complaint, 
nor  even,  unless  questioned,  of  information  as  to  her  troubles. 
A  good  deal  of  coughing  of  late. 

„  October  3.  Saw  Christina.  Very  weak,  with  hysterical  touches 
at  moments.  She  is  always,  however,  fully  capable  of  a 
sustained  talk,  and  to-day  (with  a  view  to  the  book  of  Gabriel's 
Family-Letters)  she  went  over  with  me  a  list  of  old  acquaint- 
ances of  our  childhood,  rectifying,  and  reminding  me  of  several 
particulars. 

„  October  6.  Saw  Christina.  She  confesses  now,  but  only  if 
she  is  asked  about  it,  to  pain  that  must  be  called  severe, 
especially  in  the  left  shoulder.  She  was  in  a  bad  way  as  I 
entered  the  house,  but  had  revived  before  I  saw  her,  and  talked 
as  usual.  Stewart,  who  is  going  abroad  for  some  months, 
^  This  phrase  was  used  by  Christina  in  speaking  to  me  of  heaven. 


220  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

informed  her  to-day  to  this  effect,  and  that  Dr.  Abbot  Anderson 
will  represent  him.  She  took  the  announcement  placidly,  though 
no  doubt  it  must  be  unwelcome  to  her. 
1894.  October  9.  Saw  Christina,  who  is  surprisingly  cheerful,  con- 
sidering. She  recited  to  me  her  old  verses  (say  1842)  about  a 
Chinaman's  pigtail ;  also  a  stanza,  which  I  hardly  seem  to  have 
heard  before  (date  towards  1855)  about  Charon  &c. 

„  October  22.  Saw  Christina.  Her  memory  for  old  matters  is 
singularly  prompt  and  clear. 

,,  October  25.  Saw  Christina.  "Thrice  the  tabby  cat  hath 
mewed  "  ^  &c.  Mrs.  Tooley's  article  on  Christina  in  The  Yoimg 
Woman  has  now  come  out.  Ridiculous  blunder  of  printing  as 
a  portrait  of  Christina  the  portrait  by  Gabriel  of  Lucy.  Must 
write  to  the  editor  on  this  and  another  point. 

,,  November  3.  Saw  Christina.  More  low  and  exhausted,  and 
less  capable  of  sustained  attention,  than  perhaps  I  had  yet  seen 
her.  I  am  afraid  (if  that  is  the  right  word  in  such  a  case)  the 
end  is  near.     She  says  she  is  not  in  serious  pain. 

,,  November  15.  Saw  Christina.  Her  condition  of  weakness 
and  prostration  is  so  extreme,  and  her  voice  so  near  to  extinction, 
that  I  hardly  understand  how  it  could  be  possible  for  her  to  live 
more  than  a  day  or  two ;  she  is  not  now  in  pain  of  a  marked 
kind.     Her  last  words  to-day  were  "  Good-bye,  dear  William." 

,,  November  17.  Went  to  see  Christina.  A  regular  nurse  now 
in  the  house. 

,,  November  23.  Christina  was  sleeping  when  I  arrived.  After 
some  while  the  nurse  roused  her  to  take  some  Brand's  essence, 
and  she  and  I  spoke  together.  Her  mind  wanders  a  little 
now,  but  seems  quite  placid.     No  other  marked  change. 

,,  December  2.  Christina  this  afternoon  was  a  little  drowsy. 
Said  a  few  things  in  a  very  natural  voice,  better  than  often  has 
been  the  case  these  three  weeks  or  so.     Zord  of  the  Islesr' 

„  December  6.  Christina  very  quiet  and  composed  to-day,  talk- 
ing with  presence  of  mind  in  a  deliberate  though  very  weak 
voice.  She  got  me  to  look  into  the  contents  of  her  deed-box 
(will,  spoons,  &c.)  and  also  gave  me  information  as  to  the/^c?- 
ve7iance  of  the  principal  articles  of  furniture  in  her  (front-drawing) 
room.  .  .  .  She  has  some  fancy  about  animals,  "  like  pussy-cats," 
on  a  piece  of  black  satin,  "  looking  about  for  sleep  " :  but  I 

^  In  my  Reminiscences  I  mentioned  this  trifling  instance  of  a  certain  degree  of 
liveliness  and  whim  preserved  by  Christina  up  to  almost  the  last. 

'■^  This  means  that  Christina  spoke  about  Walter  Scott's  poem,  The  Lord  of  the 
Isles.  I  don't  rightly  rememlier  what  she  said ;  but  it  was  something  of  a  quite 
apposite,  or  even  critical,  kind. 


APPENDIX— WILLIAM    ROSSETTI  221 

think  she  understands  that  this  is  a  mere  fancy  of  an  exhausted 
brain  and  frame. 
1894.  December  7.  To-day  again  Christina  was  very  placid,  and 
capable  of  attending  to  whatever  was  said.  It  is  remarkable 
how  much  her  articulation  has  improved  beyond  what  it  was 
some  fortnight  or  so  ago. 

„  December  17.  Christina  was  not  so  bad  to-day.  After  I  had 
been  standing  a  minute  by  her  bedside  she  opened  her  eyes  and 
addressed  me  in  an  affectionate  and  natural  tone,  and  she  was 
able  to  follow  my  reading  of  two  longish  letters.  I  fear  her 
mind  is  always  now  possessed  by  gloomy  ideas  as  to  the  world 
of  spirits,  but  she  has  not  for  some  weeks  past  said  to  me  any- 
thing bearing  in  this  direction.  She  has  again  taken  some 
liquid  nourishment. 

,,  December  25.  Christina  awake:  taciturn,  but  not  wholly 
silent.  As  usual  now,  she  seems  gloomy  and  distressed,  but  I 
find  it  difficult  now  ,to  apprehend  the  precise  cause.  Religious 
ideas  seem  to  me  predominant  herein. 

„  December  27.  Christina  seemed  to-day  a  little  more  self- 
possessed  than  yesterday.  She  did  not  speak.  I  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  she  is  constantly  engaged  in  mental  prayer,  and, 
though  not  unconscious  of  what  is  going  on  around  her,  will 
not  take  any  express  notice  of  it. 

„  December  29.  My  noble,  admirable  Christina  passed  away 
about  7.20  a.m.  on  Saturday  (29).  Far  better  so  than  that  she 
should  continue  any  longer  in  suffering  of  mind  or  of  body.  I 
left  her  on  Friday  about  2.45,  kissing  her  forehead  for  the  last 
time  during  her  life.  She  did  not  seem  to  see  me  at  all  that 
day.  The  nurse,  Harriett  Read,  sat  holding  Christina's  right 
hand.  Christina's  eyes  were  mostly  closed,  but  opened — half- 
opened — every  few  seconds,  and  turned  on  the  nurse — I  thought 
with  a  perceptibly  affectionate  look.  She  was  still  very  possibly 
in  mental  prayer.  That  Friday  morning  towards  5  she  "  turned 
quite  blue,"  as  the  nurse  says,  and  the  last  stage  of  her  painful 
passage  began.  Her  ordinary  colour  however  returned,  and, 
when  I  saw  her,  there  was,  in  this  respect,  nothing  to  be  noticed 
different  from  the  last  few  days.  This  morning  Christina  was, 
according  to  the  nurse,  evidently  praying  up  to  five  minutes  of 
the  end.  She  gave  one  sigh,  and  so,  in  perfect  peace  at  last, 
left  us  for  ever.  I  went  round  with  Olive  before  1 1  a.m.,  and 
saw  her  face — peaceful,  colour  much  sunken  but  aspect  not  dis- 
tressing. I  had  to  attend  to  sorrowful  duties.  Called  in  the 
evening  on  Dr.  Abbot  Anderson  for  the  death-certificate.     He 


222  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

had  already  posted  it  to  Torrington  Square.  He  considers  that 
Christina  was  subject  to  some  fanciful  and  varying  impressions 
for  the  last  3  or  4  weeks ;  and  this  I  know  to  be  in  some  respects 
true. 

1894.  December  30.  I  went  round  to  Torrington  Square  with  my 
three  younger  children,  who  wished  to  take  the  last  look  at 
Christina.  We  found  the  coffin  closed,  which  pained  us,  but  I 
approve  of  its  having  been  done.  The  coffin,  marked  with  a 
cross,  is  an  exact  duplicate  of  that  which  was  ordered  for  my 
mother,  and  which  must  have  had  Christina's  definite  approval. 
The  medical  certificate  gives  as  causes  of  death  —  primary, 
scirrhus — secondary,  cardiac  failure. 

1895.  January  2.  The  funeral — performed  with  dignity,  grace,  and 
in  a  way   quite   consonant   to   my   feelings.     A  considerable 

'  attendance  of  (uninvited)  persons  in  church,  and  a  certain 
number  at  the  grave.  Snow  fell  in  the  night  of  1-2,  but  the 
day  was  still,  fine  and  sunny,  and  not  particularly  cold.  The 
only  persons  who  accompanied  us  five  in  mourning-carriages 
were  the  clergyman  (Nash),  Watts,  Miss  Lisa  Wilson,  and  the 
two  servants  from  Torrington  Square.  Two  hymns  by  Christina 
sung  in  church.  ^V'atts  got  from  Athence7i?n  office  the  proof  of 
his  article  on  Christina,  and  brought  it  round  to  me.  A  very 
satisfactory  article.     He  spent  the  evening  with  us. 


2.  Extracts  from  a  Diary  kept  by  Christina  Rossetti  on  behalf  of  Jier 
Mother,   188 1-6. 

1 88 1.  April  7.  Gabriel  read  us  his  magnificent  ballad.  The  Ki?ig's 
Tragedy,  founded  on  the  history  of  James  I  of  Scotland.  Heard 
of  the  death  of  Mary  Collinson,  within  three  months  after  the 
death  of  her  brother  James. 

„  November  26.  Christina  went  to  early  dinner  at  the  Scotts', 
where  she  met  Mr.  Henry  Linton.  Coming  back  she  called 
on  Gabriel,  whom  she  found  glad  to  see  her,  but  weak  and 
much  depressed.  A  nurse  had  arrived  the  same  morning  to 
attend  to  him  under  Mr.  Marshall,  and  to  check,  if  possible, 
the  excessive  use  of  chloral  &:c.  Mr.  Watts  and  Mr.  Caine 
were  in  the  studio. 

„  December  14.  We  went  to  see  poor  dear  Gabriel,  whom  we 
found  laid  up  since  Sunday  with  loss  of  power  on  the  left  side 


The  House  in  which  Christina  Rossetti  died. 

30  Torrington  Square. 

Photograph  taken  in  1908. 


[To /ace  p.  222. 


APPENDIX— FRANCES    ROSSETTI  223 

— Mr.  Marshall  (thank  God  !)  says  not  paralysis.  On  Sunday 
friends  came  unexpectedly  to  see  him,  and  so  filled  up  the 
chairs  about  the  fire  that  he  was  restricted  to  the  sofa ;  where 
he  became  so  cramped  and  presumably  so  chilled  as  to  become 
numbed  on  the  left  side,  his  hand  losing  power,  and  his  foot 
so  that  he  could  not  stand.  Mrs.  Abrey  (nurse)  with  Dr. 
Westland  Marston  and  Mr.  Caine  carried  him  up  to  bed, 
where  he  remains.  Mr.  Marshall  was  sent  for,  and  saw  him 
the  same  day.  We  to-day  found  him  free  perhaps  from  pain, 
but  depressed  to  a  pitiable  degree.  William  knew  of  this  terrible 
attack,  but  was  charged  by  Gabriel  not  to  tell  me,  so  we  arrived 
without  knowing  what  had  happened. 

li.  December  15.  Christina  went  to  see  Gabriel,  and  found  him 
much  the  same.  She  saw  also  Mr.  Watts,  and  understood  from 
him  that  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Mr.  Marshall  was 
expected  to  bring  with  him  a  young  medical  man  who  would 
remain  in  the  house,  and  watch  the  effect  of  morphia  which 
Gabriel  was  to  try  by  Mr.  Marshall's  orders  instead  of  chloral.  « 

,  December  18.  To  church  with  Christina.  She  in  afternoon 
went  to  see  Gabriel,  and  found  him  certainly  not  worse.  The 
morphia  is  injected  by  puncturing  the  hand.  The  medical  man 
in  charge  of  the  treatment  is  a  Mr.  Maudsley,  aged  24,  a  pupil 
of  Mr.  Marshall's.  Eight  hours'  sleep  was  induced  by  the  first 
injection  (or  perhaps  the  second),  but  this  may  have  been  too 
strong  a  dose  to  repeat.  Last  night  was  restless.  Mr.  Caine 
talked  kindly  and  feelingly  to  Christina.  Mr.  Leyland  was  paying 
Gabriel  a  visit. 

\2.  January  20.  Gabriel  came,  looking  better  and  talking  with 
more  animation ;  he  mentioned  having  finished  a  little  picture. 

,  February  i.  Mr.  Cayley  called.  Gabriel  came  and  invited 
me  and  Christina  to  accompany  him  down  next  Saturday  to 
Birchington,  where  Mr.  John  Seddon  is  lending  him  a  large 
and  commodious  "bungalow." 

,  March  2.  Lucy  came  with  Olivia  and  Arthur.  I  and  Chris- 
tina went  to  West-Cliff  Bungalow,  Birchington-on-sea  (a  large 
one-storeyed  commodious  residence  lent  by  Mr.  John  Seddon), 
to  visit  Gabriel ;  who  is  staying  there  with  his  trained  nurse, 
Mrs.  Abrey,  and  Mr.  Hall  Caine  and  his  sister  Lily  (13  years 
old),  endeavouring  to  regain  health  and  strength,  and  in  par- 
ticular to  regain  the  use  of  his  left  hand.  But  I  was  grieved 
indeed  to  find  him  much  wasted  away,  suffering  and  in  a 
measure  depressed,  though  making  us  most  welcome,  and 
chatty  enough  on  general  subjects. 


224  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S   LETTERS 

1882.  April  6.  Christina  went  at  10.30  to  morning  service  and  Holy 
Communion.  Gabriel  so  drowsy  and  sinking  that  William  and 
IMr.  Watts  were  telegraphed  to.  I  sat  up  till  about  midnight, 
when  Christina  took  my  place  till  6  in  the  morning. 

„  April  7.  The  drowsiness  continues.  William  in  great  grief 
and  Mr.  Watts  arrived.  Mr.  Leyland  called,  affectionately  con- 
cerned at  the  unforeseen  alarm.  In  consequence  of  Gabriel's 
having  one  night  expressed  to  Mrs.  Abrey  some  inclination  to 
see  Mr.  Alcock,  the  rector,  having  been  informed  of  this,  called 
late  in  the  evening  and  prayed  with  him ;  I  and  Mr.  Watts 
uniting. 

,,  April  8.  Kind  Mr.  Martin  had  an  awning  put  up  to  keep  the 
sick-room  cool.  Mr.  Shields  hurried  down,  but  could  not  see 
Gabriel  at  once ;  and  slept  here.  After  unavoidable  delays 
Mr.  Marshall  arrived,  met  Dr.  Harris  in  consultation ;  declared 
all  the  present  urgent  symptoms  to  point  to  urremia  (blood- 
poison  produced  by  an  escape  of  urea),  and  took  instant  vigor- 
ous measures  to  expel  if  possible  the  poison  from  the  system. 
To  produce  perspiration,  Gabriel  was  wrapped  in  a  hot  sheet 
and  made  very  hot  in  bed,  besides  medicine  being  adminis- 
tered. The  blessed  result  ensued  of  his  regaining  a  more  natural 
appearance,  and  rallying  to  a  less  inert  general  condition. 
Food,  heat,  and  medicine  (though  no  solid  food),  were  kept  up 
through  the  night,  the  greater  part  of  which  Christina  passed 
keeping  nurse  company  at  the  bedside.  Mr.  Marshall  missed 
his  up-train,  and  so  remained  on  the  spot  for  the  night.  Mr. 
Leyland  again  visited  Gabriel,  and  Mr.  Martin  called. 

„  April  9.  Easter  Day.  Mr.  Marshall  left  soon  after  9  o'clock, 
leaving  word  for  me  (I  was  not  yet  up)  that  Gabriel  "continued 
to  hold  his  own."  He  also  says  that  as  soon  as  manageable 
Gabriel  ought  to  quit  Birchington  as  being  too  cold  for  him, 
and  had  best  simply  return  to  Chelsea.  I  gather  that  the  ill- 
ness is  very  serious,  but  not  hopeless.  Christina  missed  church 
after  sitting  up  till  towards  7  in  the  morning.  (Forgotten  from 
yesterday.  Mr.  Alcock  called,  and  read  and  (we  think)  prayed 
alone  with  Gabriel,  exhorting  him  to  simple  trust  in  God  and 
our  Saviour.)  Mr.  Leyland  came.  Mr.  Alcock  paid  Gabriel  a 
short  bedside  visit. — \^Later  on]  We  had  arranged  to  sit  up,  I 
till  10,  William  till  2,  Christina  last;  when  suddenly,  just  after 
nurse  and  Mr.  Watts  together  had  put  a  poultice  on  Gabriel's 
back  (Mr.  Watts  had  but  just  left  the  room,  nurse  was  attend- 
ing to  the  fire,  I  was  by  the  bed  rubbing  Gabriel's  back), 
Gabriel,  who  was  sitting,  fell  back,  threw  his  arms  out,  screamed 


APPENDIX— FRANCES   ROSSETTI  225 

out  loud  two  or  three  times  close  together,  and  then  lay 
breathing  but  insensible.  Nurse  raised  the  alarm,  Mr.  Watts 
hurried  back,  and  one  on  each  side  they  held  Gabriel  down, 
but  there  was  not  the  slightest  struggle  or  return  of  conscious- 
ness. All  assembled  round  the  bed.  Mr.  Shields  flew  for  Dr. 
Harris,  and  in  the  shortest  time  returned  with  him.  Gabriel 
still  breathed,  but  that  was  all ;  Dr.  Harris  once  or  twice  said 
he  still  lived — then  said  he  was  dead.  This  took  place  shortly 
after  9  o'clock  p.m.  Gabriel  had  scarcely  breathed  his  last 
when  Lucy,  having  travelled  all  day  from  Manchester,  arrived. 
The  instant  cause  of  death  assigned  by  Dr.  Harris  was  that  the 
uraemic  poison  touched  the  brain,  and  he  afterwards  assured  us 
that  there  was  no  pain. 
1882.  April  10.  Easter  Afonday.  Christina  went  to  early  Holy 
Communion.  A  telegram  sent  by  William  brought  from  London 
a  man  from  Brucciani's  to  take  a  cast  of  Gabriel's  face  and 
hand.  He  looked  quite  peaceful,  with  a  tendency  towards  a 
smile.  Mr,  Shields  made  a  drawing  of  him.  Mr.  Leyland  came, 
and  Dr.  Harris.  Mr.  Alcock  came  showing  sympathy  with 
us  :  he  accompanied  Christina  to  look  at  dear  Gabriel  (whose  im- 
mediate death  he  had  not  anticipated),  appeared  moved,  and, 
kneeling  down,  prayed  aloud  with  Mr.  Shields  and  Christina. 
Afterwards  Lucy  went  with  her  and  William  to  the  Rectory, 
where  Mrs.  Alcock  was  introduced  to  them,  and  expressed 
concern  and  good-will.  This  call  at  the  Rectory  was  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  Mr.  Alcock,  who  accompanied  the  three  to 
the  churchyard,  where  a  spot  was  chosen  for  the  dear  grave ; 
one  or  two  alternative  spots  being  fixed  upon  in  case  the  first 
(on  sounding)  should  prove  to  be  pre-occupied.  Mr.  Martin 
with  his  usual  kindness  undertakes  to  make  arrangements  for 
the  funeral.  Mr.  Shields  tells  us  that  for  years  past  he  had 
prayed  for  Gabriel,  and  on  anxious  inquiry  he  was  relieved  to 
learn  from  us  that  he  had  been  visited  by  a  clergyman. 

„  April  12.  Mr.  Shields  left  us.  William  and  Lucy  returned,^ 
and  later  in  the  day  Mr.  Sharp  arrived,  bent  on  having  a  last 
look. 

„  April  13.  Mr.  Caine  went  to  London.  Mr.  Alcock  called 
to  fix  the  exact  hour  for  the  funeral.  Charlotte  arrived  from 
Muntham,  having  spent  one  night  in  London.  Mr.  Watts 
came  back.     The  coffin  was  closed  in  the  evening. 

„      April  14.     Mr.   Alcock   performed    the    funeral   simply   and 

^  Having  been  present  at  the  moment  of  Gabriel's  death,  I  had,  with  my  wife, 
gone  up  to  London  soon  afterwards  to  attend  to  some  necessary  details. 

15 


226  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

solemnly.  Besides  myself,  Christina,  William,  Lucy,  and 
Charlotte,  there  were  present  Messrs.  Graham,  Leyland,  Watts, 
Caine,  Hueffer,  John  Seddon,  Stephens,  Boyce,  Aldam  Heaton, 
Martin,  Sharp,  Philip  Marston,  Shields,  and  Dr.  Harris. 
Herbert  Gilchrist  and  two  others  attended  uninvited,  but  were 
not  of  our  party.  Mr.  Martin  having  undertaken  much  of  our 
trouble,  all  went  well  as  to  carriages  (five  were  provided)  and 
refreshments.  Mr.  Shields  and  Mr,  W'atts  remained  for  the 
night,  and  of  course  Mr.  Caine.  In  the  evening  Charlotte, 
William,  Lucy,  Christina,  and  Mr.  Shields,  returned  to  the 
churchyard  to  place  on  the  grave  (already  closed  and  peaceful 
under  a  turfed  mound)  a  most  beautiful  wreath  of  flowers  which 
we  believe  was  the  one  sent  by  Lady  Mount-Temple  and  brought 
by  Mr.  Graham.  A  number  of  floral  decorations  were  con- 
tributed by  different  friends.  Philip  Marston  presented  a 
wreath  of  bay,  the  Leylands  wreaths  and  a  lovely  white  cross, 
Mr.  Sharp  a  cross  of  primroses.  I  placed  in  the  grave  a  bunch 
of  simple  flowers  among  which  were  wood-spurge  (or  certainly 
one  of  the  spurges)  and  forget-me-nots  ;  Christina  had  gathered 
these  in  the  grounds  and  conservatory. 
1882.  April  15.  Mr.  Alcock  called  and  said  good-bye,  inviting  me 
to  take  a  bed  at  his  house  if  I  liked  occasionally  to  visit 
Birchington.  I  returned  with  Charlotte  and  Christina  to 
Torrington  Square ;  William,  Mr.  Watts,  and  Mr.  Caine? 
accompanying  us  to  the  station. 

„  April  18.  Christina  called  in  Cheyne  W^alk  (92)  to  ask  after 
Mr.  Scott,  who  was  gone  to  South  Kensington  and  much  better 
of  his  injured  leg  ;  and  she  saw  Mrs.  Scott  and  Miss  Boyd. 
Mrs.  Stephens  brought  me  a  beautiful  wreath  of  white  flowers, 
and  Mr.  Cayley  called. 

„  May  26.  I  went  with  Charlotte,  Eliza,  and  Christina,  to 
dear  Gabriel's  house.  W'illiam  met  us  there,  and  we  selected 
(I  and  Christina)  each  a  drawing  as  a  remembrance ;  and  all 
four  of  us  chose  an  odd  volume  (at  William's  suggestion)  from 
a  number  of  imperfect  books  set  aside  as  nearly  valueless.  The 
house  looked  desolate  indeed,  bereft  of  the  dear  pervading 
presence.  Mr.  Dunn  showed  us  two  water-colour  drawings  he 
has  begun  of  the  drawing-room  and  dining-room  furnished  in 
the  old  familiar  manner,  and  he  proposes  to  represent  in  the 
same  way  the  studio  and  Gabriel's  own  bedroom  ;  ^  pretty  and 

^  The  water-colour  of  the  studio  was  made.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  bedroom 
was  not  now  portrayed  ;  but  I  possess  a  water-colour  of  it  made  by  Mr.  Dunn  at 
some  preceding  date. 


APPENDIX— FRANCES    ROSSETTI  227 

highly  interesting  little  pictures  these  promise  to  be.  Mr.  Caine, 
coming  in  before  we  left,  greeted  us  very  cordially. 
18S2.  June  29.  William  called  on  his  way  to  Chelsea,  whither  we 
followed  him  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  ;  staying  some  time 
in  the  saddened  house,  and  seeing  a  number  of  the  familiar  old 
objects  all  about  the  rooms  ready  for  the  sale  next  week.  Poor 
William  was  suffering  much  from  gout.  We  saw  Mr.  Dunn  for 
a  moment,  Mr.  Watts,  and  Mr.  Caine,  who  fetched  a  cab  for 
us. 

„  July  8.  William  paid  a  long  morning  visit.  The  three  days' 
sale,  with  the  addition  of  some  private  sales,  has  produced  (he 
estimates)  about  ;z£^3,ooo,  a  result  far  beyond  anticipation.  The 
one  grievous  mishap  of  the  sale  was  the  disappearance,  how  we 
know  not,  of  the  choice  copy  of  Petrarca,  given  by  my  father 
to  me,  by  me  long  afterwards  as  a  keepsake  to  Gabriel,  and 
containing  the  autograph  of  John  Philip  Kemble,  by  whom  it 
was  originally  given  to  my  father. 

,,  July  26.  Mr.  Sharp  called,  and  I  lent  him  my  Main's 
Sonnet-book  containing  Gabriel's  beautiful  Indian-ink  drawing 
and  autograph  sonnet,  given  me  by  him  the  day  I  was  eighty. 
I  am  allowing  both  design  and  words  to  be  engraved  in 
facsimile  for  Mr.  Sharp's  forthcoming  memoir  of  Gabriel. 

,,  September  21.  Christina  dined  with  William  and  Lucy, 
meeting  there  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shields,  Mr.  Cayley,  and  Mr. 
Dunn. 

„  September  23.  Charlotte  returned  to  Muntham.  Began 
with  Christina  reading  through  dear  Gabriel's  letters  to  me,  in 
preparation  for  William's  and  Mr.  Watts's  joint  volume.  Mr. 
Cayley  called  with  his  sister  Henrietta. 

„  November  6.  We  concluded  reading  Gabriel's  letters  for 
William's  book  :  Mr.  Cayley  called,  and  stayed  to  whist  and 
tea. 

„  December  2.  Christina  went  to  consult  Sir  William  Jenner, 
who  again  spoke  with  great  interest  of  Gabriel ;  remarking  on 
the  narrow  line  which  divides  genius  from  mental  affection, 
observing  how  it  preys  on  its  possessor,  and  evidently  of 
opinion  that,  with  his  nerves  and  his  gifts,  it  is  no  marvel  that 
we  have  lost  him. 

,,  December  19.  Mr.  Tebbs  paid  us  a  long  sympathetic  visit, 
selecting  works  by  Gabriel  and  portraits  of  him  for  exhibition  at 
Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club. 

„      December  30.     I  went  with  Charlotte,  Eliza,  and  Christina,  to 
the  Royal  Academy,  Burlington  House,  to  see  a  roorpful  of 
15* 


22S  CHRISTINA   ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

dear  Gabriel's  drawings  and  paintings, — strikingly  beautiful. 
This  was  the  private  view. 
1883.  January  24.  Olive  and  Arthur  brought  a  note  from  Lucy 
saying  that  dear  little  Michael  was  dying.  Christina  went  round 
between  10  and  1 1,  found  all  in  grief,  and  sat  with  poor  William 
and  Lucy  till  the  baby  died  just  before  i  o'clock.  He  was 
suffering  from  pressure  on  the  brain,  which  mercifully  (we  are 
told)  was  unaccompanied  by  consciousness,  although  his  eyes 
continued  open.  Mr.  Gill,  who  attended  him  assiduously, 
brought  a  Dr.  Roberts  to  see  him  in  consultation  last  Thursday, 
and  yesterday  William  called  in  Sir  William  Jenner.  Christina 
returned  to  Endsleigh  Gardens  in  the  afternoon,  carrying  a 
heath  in  bloom  to  place  in  the  room. 

,,  February  12.  Christina  called  on  Lucy,  whom  she  found  at 
home  with  all  her  children.  Lucy  brought  in  her  beautiful 
drawing  of  Michael  lying  dead,  to  show  Christina — at  sight  of 
which  little  Mary  became  quite  excited,  scuttling  along  towards 
the  portrait.  It  seemed  to  attract  her  like  a  magnet,  affectionately 
and  pleasurably.  Holding  her  mother's  hand,  she  walked  some 
distance  round  the  room,  accompanying  the  portrait  held  high 
in  Lucy's  other  hand.  Then,  seated  opposite  it,  she  made  kisses 
towards  it ;  once  broke  into  a  laugh  and  uttered  inarticulate 
baby-chatter,  pointing  and  stretching  out  her  little  hand  in  her 
vain  endeavour  to  touch  the  drawing. 

,,  March  g.  ^^'illiam,  Lucy,  and  Mr.  George  Hake,  came  to 
"substantial  tea"  with  us,  and  we  passed  a  very  agreeable 
evening ;  in  the  course  of  which  Mr.  Burcham  looked  in  by 
chance,  in  London  for  a  short  visit  (from  Norwich)  especially 
to  see  Gabriel's  pictures  now  exhibiting.  He  brought  me  a 
small  quantity  of  exceptionally  fragrant  pot-pourri,  made  by 
John  ^  for  a  Norwich  lady  whose  maiden  name  I  could  not 
learn,  but  who — either  herself  or  her  daughter — became  a  Mrs. 
Asker  (?).  This  highly-valued  gift  I  returned  by  presenting 
him  with  the  "  Home  Library  "  (American)  edition  of  dear 
Gabriel's  collected  poems. 

„  April  7.  To  buy  flowers  (a  cross  of  white  everlastings  and 
several  small  bunches,  including  forget-me-nots)  for  dear 
Gabriel's  grave,  where  Mr.  Caine  has  promised  to  place  them 
next  Monday,  the  anniversary  of  his  death.  Eliza  accompanied 
us.     We  left  the  flowers  with  Mr.  Caine  in  Clement's  Inn,  and 

'  /.  L\  Dr.  John  Polidori,  P.yron's  travelling  physician  in  1S16,  Mis.  Rossetti's 
l»rother — deceased  in  1821. 


APPENDIX— FRANCES    ROSSETTI  229 

exchanged  cordial  words  with  him  and  with  Mr.  Watts,  who 
happened  to  be  there. 
1883.  May  12.  To-day  the  drawings  &c.  left  by  Gabriel  (on  this 
his  birthday)  were  sold  by  auction  in  Christie's  Rooms.  About 
;j^3,ooo  is  realized  for  ourselves,  as  reported  at  the  moment 
by  William. 

„  May  14.  To  church,  and  then  to  William's,  where  we  saw 
himself  and  Helen,  and  for  a  moment  Lucy.  The  sum  realized 
last  Saturday  (not  ;^3,ooo  but  nearer  ;j{^2,8oo),  by  sale  of 
Gabriel's  works,  will  probably,  after  all  incidental  expenses  have 
been  paid,  rather  more  than  suffice  to  clear  off  the  remaining 
liabilities. 

„  June  7.  William  came  and  read  us  a  letter  from  Dr.  Steele, 
containing  particulars  of  Teodorico's  seizure.  He  was  minister- 
ing (at  Florence)  to  a  Protestant  congregation,  discoursing  on 
Revelation  v.,  when  his  voice  failed.  He  sat  down — for  a 
moment  his  state  was  not  perceived — then  Isabella  rushed 
forward  :  but  he,  motioning  her  aside,  called  out  to  his  flock, 
"Addio,  addio,  addio," — and,  becoming  insensible,  died  the 
same  day.     The  funeral  was  to  take  place  last  Friday  (5th). 

„  July  12.  I  went  with  Christina  to  Church  Hill,  Birchington. 
Mrs.  John  Seddon  left  some  roses  for  us,  gathered  (I  believe) 
from  under  one  of  Gabriel's  windows  in  the  Bungalow. 

„  July  13.  I  stayed  at  home  to  rest.  Christina  placed  roses  on 
Gabriel's  grave,  on  which  a  white  cross  and  a  few  withered 
flowers  were  already  lying. 

„  August  4.  We  walked  and  sat  out.  Mr.  Shields  called,  and 
went  with  Christina  to  look  at  the  church-window  I  wish  him 
to  fill  for  me.  He  proposes  a  Picblican  for  one  light,  and  a 
St.  Mary  Magdalene  after  Gabriel's  own  design  (adapted  by 
himself  for  the  purpose),  for  the  other.^  They  took  a  walk 
together  along  the  Canterbury  Road. 

„  September  6.  I  returned  to  Torrington  Square  with  Charlotte 
and  Christina.  Before  we  left  Birchington,  Christina  and  1 
paid  our  last  visit  to  dear  Gabriel's  grave,  and  placed  flowers 
upon  it. 

„  November  17.  Mr.  Burcham  called,  introducing  to  us  his 
friend   Mr.  Kitton.^ 

„      December  5.    To  litany  with  Christina.    Charles  Bagot  Cayley 

died  in  the  night.^ 

^  Neither  of  these  proposals  took  effect. 

-  The  late  Mr.  F.  G.  Kitton,  one  of  the  leading  authorities  regarding  Dickens. 
^  This  entry  as  to  Cayley  (who  died  in  the  night  from  5  to  6  December)  was 
evidently  added  after  the  entry  for  7  December  had  been  made. 


230  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

1S83.  December  7.  While  Christina  was  at  the  litany,  Profr.  and 
Mrs.  Cayley  called  to  tell  her  the  dreadful  news  that  their 
brother  Charles  had  been  found  dead  in  his  bed  the  morning 
(Thursday)  before.  Coming  in,  Christina  saw  them  ;  then  went 
and  saw  her  dear  friend  lying  just  as  found  in  the  attitude  of 
sleep  ;  his  hand,  that  is,  raised  to  his  face.  He  is  thought  to 
have  died  quite  painlessly,  the  heart  stopping.  Miss  Cayley 
(Sophie)  was  there,  and  asked  Christina  (offering  her  a  bed)  if 
she  would  attend  the  funeral  at  Hastings,  where  he  will  be  near 
his  mother.  Christina  bought  a  beautiful  wreath  at  Covent 
Garden,  and  herself  laid  it  on  the  sheet  where  other  flowers 
were  already  lying. 

,,  December  11.  We  walked  as  far  as  Russell  Square.  Christina 
went  to  Covent  Garden,  and  bought  a  cross  for  herself  and 
white  flowers  for  me  to  send  to  Mr.  Cayley's  funeral  at  Hastings 
to-morrow. 

,,  December  12.  To  the  litany.  William  came.  Charles  Bagot 
Cayley  was  buried  to-day  at  Hastings  near  his  mother.  Lucy 
called  with  Helen. 

,,  December  13.  Profr.  Cayley  brought  Christina  his  brother's 
desk. 
1884.  January  i.  Christina  went  a  business-round  for  me,  ending 
in  Mr.  Shields's  studio,  where  she  saw  a  fine  cartoon  for  the 
second  light  of  my  memorial-window :  our  Lord  leading  the 
blind  man  by  the  hand  before  healing  him. 

,,  January  15.  Christina  went  to  Hastings  to  visit  Mr.  Cayley's 
grave,  returning  in  the  afternoon. 

,,  February  29.  To  the  litany.  Mrs.  Abrey  called,  and  amongst 
other  interesting  matter  assured  us  that,  when  poor  Gabriel  left 
Chelsea  for  Birchington,  no  one,  so  far  as  she  knows,  certainly 
not  herself,  foresaw  that  he  would  not  return. 

„  March  22.  I  and  Christina  went  to  Mr.  Shields's  studio  to 
see  his  design  for  the  second  light  of  my  Birchington  window  : 
our  Lord  leading  by  the  hand  the  blind  man  of  Bethsaida  ; 
very  fine,  and,  when  placed  opposite  Gabriel's  St  Mary 
Magdalene,  promising  a  beautiful  result.  He  showed  us  other 
fine  things,  and  we  saw  Mrs.  Shields. 

,,  May  2.  Mr.  Alcock  came  up  from  Birchington  to  talk  about 
my  memorial-window.  He  considers  the  St.  Mary  Magdalene 
(Gabriel's)  light  unsuited  to  the  position  of  the  particular 
window.  So  Christina  went  round  with  him  to  Mr.  Shields's 
studio ;  and,  after  thought  and  discussion,  that  kind  friend 
promises  to  try  to  produce  a  "  light "  from  Gabriel's  Fassover 


APPENDIX— FRANCES    ROSSETTI  231 

in  the  Holy  Family^  of  which  a  photograph  should  be  submitted 
to  Mr.  Alcock  for  approval  before  the  work  proceeds  further. 
The  Blind  Man  of  Bethsaida  light  is  accepted,  but  must  wait 
till  the  second  has  got  forward. 
..  June  6.  The  photograph  of  Gabriel's  Passover  iti  the  Holy 
Family  arrived  from  Oxford,  and  Christina  went  with  it  to  Mr. 
Shields,  who  finds  he  will  be  able  to  make  his  second  light 
from  it.  So  now  we  send  it  to  Mr.  Alcock,  before  carrying  the 
work  any  further. 

August  26.  William  came  to  see  me  before  I  and  Christina 
started  for  Birchington,  which  I  reached  tired. 

August  30.  We  revisited  the  grave,  and  I  ordered  a  low 
wooden  coping  to  be  placed  round  it.  Mr.  Bristow  (carpenter, 
joiner,  undertaker,  clerk,  sexton)  is  to  do  this  for  me.  He  is 
quite  impressed  by  the  number  of  visitors  to  Gabriel's  grave, 
and  mentioned  one  lady  in  particular  who  fainted  in  her  distress. 

September  i.  William  in  London  sent  us  down  to  read  the 
following  letter  from  his  little  Helen  at  Heme  Bay ;  believed  to 
be  her  own  composition,  dictated  to  Lucy : — 


4  TELFORD   TERRACE. 

Thztrsday. 

My  dear  Papa,  I  am  better.  I  have  been  in  great  pain, 
and  am  only  allowed  to  eat  soft  things.  I  am  not  allowed 
to  go  out  or  get  into  draughts,  but  the  kitten  is  very  kind  and 
seems  to  like  me,  and  I  don't  know  what  I  should  do  without 
her.  I  wish  you  were  here  to  take  me  out  on  the  beach. 
Poor  Mamma  has  a  pain  in  her  leg,  but  she  is  always  kind 
to  me — and  Cook  sat  up  all  night  helping  me,  and  she  must 
have  been  very  tired.  But  I  love  you  because  you  do  not  keep 
me  indoors,  but  let  me  wet  my  feet  and  clothes  in  the  water, 
so  do  come  again  for  I  am  always  dry  now. 

Your  loving  child, 

Helen. 

September  9.  We  changed  our  lodgings  to  next  door  (Mr. 
Ashton,  Chemist,  5  Station  Road).  We  settled  with  Bristow 
the  sexton  that  he  should  raise  a  low  mound  over  dear  Gabriel, 
and  train  ivy  close  over  it.  We  visited  the  grave,  on  which 
Christina  placed  flowers,  and  walked  to  the  nearest  nursery- 
ground  on  the  Margate  Road. 


232  CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI'S    LETTERS 

1884.  October  23.  We  sat  out  and  walked  by  the  Bungalow.  The 
memorial-window,  mine  to  Gabriel,  came  down  from  London, 
and  the  placing  it  in  church  was  commenced. 

„  October  24.  I  went  with  Christina  to  look  at  the  window, 
beautiful  beyond  my  expectation.  The  bright  clear  morning 
showed  it  to  great  advantage.  Mr.  Alcock  was  there,  and 
shook  hands  with  us.  After  looking  some  time  at  the  window, 
and  remaining  somewhat  longer  in  church,  we  made  a  pleasant 
round  walking  home. 

,,      October  28.    I  returned  home  from  Birchington  with  Christina. 

,,  November  i.  Christina  went  for  me  to  Lodge  Place,  and  paid 
Mr.  Shields  the  second  and  final  instalment  for  my  Birchington 
window,  including  the  rejected  design  of  S^.  Mary  Magdalene. 
I  added  ;!^3o  to  what  was  owing,  by  which  means  Mr.  Shields 
received  a  clear  ;z^ioo  for  himself. 
1S85.  March  20.  We  attended  the  litany.  A  Mr.  Sandeman 
brought  us  a  book  of  illuminations  illustrative  of  some  of 
Gabriel's  poems,  and  done  by  a  Mrs.  Traquair ;  who,  calling  in 
the  afternoon,  fetched  away  her  beautiful  performance :  they 
are  acquaintances  of  the  George  Hakes. 

„  August  9.  In  the  afternoon  William  brought  round  Mr. 
Brown  to  see  what  portraits  of  Gabriel  I  had,  in  preparation 
for  his  commencing  his  memorial  bronze  medallion  (?)  to  form 
the  chief  feature  of  a  fountain  proposed  to  be  erected  near  the 
old  house  in  Cheyne  Walk,  Mr.  John  Seddon  furnishing  the 
architectural  design.  Dr.  Littledale  called. 
1 886.  February  25.  I  fell  in  my  room  (Christina  at  the  other  end 
of  the  room)  and  hurt  my  back.  Mr.  Stewart  prescribed 
belladonna-poultice  made  with  cotton-wool,  and  a  soothing 
mixture.  Considerable  pain,  but  (thank  God  !)  no  bones  broken. 
Of  course  I  keep  in  bed,  and  as  quiet  as  possible. 

„  April  7.  Christina  sat  up  with  nurse,  only  lying  down  occasion- 
ally without  undressing  :  William  and  Harriett  up  and  down 
through  the  night.  The  night  over,  no  rally :  unconsciousness 
at  last.  Mr.  Stewart  came  twice.  Mr.  Nash  prayed  by  my  bed- 
side, but  I  knew  it  not  (?).  Mr.  Watts  called  much  concerned. 
Charlotte  is  better. 


I,  Christina  G.  Rossetti,  happy  and  unhappy  daughter  of  so 
dear  a  saint,  write  the  last  words.  Not  till  nearly  half-an-hour 
after  noon  on  April  8  (Thursday)  did  my  dearest  mother  cease 
from  suffering,  though  for  a  considerable  time  it  had  (I  am 


APPENDIX— CHRISTINA    ROSSETTI  233 

assured)  been  unconscious  suffering.  William,  Nurse  Annie 
Jackson,  Harriett,  and  I,  watched  by  her  on  and  off  the  last  sad 
night.  At  the  moment  of  death,  William,  Nurse,  Mr.  Stewart, 
and  I,  were  present.  Annie  Jackson  has  been  our  true  friend, 
helper,  and  comfort.  Harriett  and  Alice  ^  full  of  loving  care  for 
us.  My  beautiful  mother  looked  beautiful  after  death,  so  con- 
tented as  almost  to  have  an  expression  of  pleasure.  I  had  her 
dressed  in  the  "widow's  cap"  she  has  worn  more  than  30 
years.  Mr.  Nash  sent  to  inquire,  Miss  Billing  came  in  for  a 
last  look  while  Mamma  lay  insensible.  Sarah  Catchpole  went 
to  look  at  her  as  she  lay  dead. 

^  Servants.      Sarah   Catchpole   (named  directly  afterwards)  had   also  been  a 
servant  in  the  family.     Miss  Billing  I  do  not  remember — perhaps  a  neighbour. 


INDEX 


Abbot  Anderson,  Dr.,  220,  221,  222 
Abrey,  Mrs.,   108,  109,  in,  112,  116, 

154,  168,  223,  224,  230 
Academy,  The  (review),  95,  98,  107, 
Agresti,  Olivia,  28,  52,  58,  67,  74,  137, 
145,   146,   147,   149,   156,    157,    163, 
180,  187,  188,  196,  203,  204,  221 
Agresti,  Olivia,   Le  Jeiine   Bara,    by, 

169,  170 
Agresti,  Olivia,  Theseus,  by,  152,  170, 

214 
Aikin!s  Year  (magazine),  20,  21 
Albany  Street,  166,  x,  206 
Albert  (servant),  68 

,,      Hall,  London,  96 
Alcock,  Rev.  Mr.,   114,  127,  141,  144, 

224,  225,  226,  230,  231,  232 
Aldrich,  Hon.  Charles,  2CX5,  201 
Aldwick  Lodge,  Bognor,  52 
Alford,  Dean,  29 
Alice  (servant),  233 
All  Saints  Home,  155,  156 

,,  Sisterhood,  xi 

Allingham,  William,  172 
Alma-Tad^ma,  Sir  Lawrence,  37 

I,  Heads    of    Dr.    and 

Mrs.   Hueffer,    by, 
37 
Amadeo,  King,  174 
Angeli,  Helen,  144,  145,  146,  189,  231 
Ansaldi,  Dr.,  202 
Arabian  Nights,  The,  57 
Arlington  Street,  38,  London,  18,  22, 

206 
Aihenaum,  The,  x,  3,  43,  66,  70,  95, 
ICX3,   107,   119,   122,   130,   133,   139, 
142,  143,  148,  150,  212,  213,  222 
Austin  family,  48,  49 
Aylott  and  Jones,  16,  17 


B 

Barham,  Rev.  R.  II.,  5 

,,  As  I  lay  a-thinking,  by,  5, 

6,  7,  9 
Bateman,  E.  L.,  20 
Bath,  Marchioness  Dowager  of,  17,  iS, 

22 
Baynes,  Rev.  Mr.,  29 
Bell,  Mackenzie,  viii 
,,  Alemoir  of  Christina  Rossetli, 

by,  96 
Bennett,  Rev.  Mr.,  22 
Benson,  E.  F.,  170 

,,  Dodo,  by,  170 

Berwick  Lodge,  Clifton,  50 
Birchington  Church,  128,  144 
Birchington-on-Sea,  xii,  104,  108,  12S, 

135,  169,  212,  223,  224,  229,  231 
Blind,  Mathilde,  49,  50 
Bliss,  Mr.,  7,  10 
Bloomsbury  Square,   12,   London,  44, 

46,  51 
Boccaccio,  188 

,,  Lectttres  on  Dante,  by,  iSS 

Bodichon,  Mrs.,  37 
Bonaparte,  Prince  L.  L.,  loi 
Boyce,  George  P.,  226 
Bray,  Anna  E.,  91 
Brett,  John,  54 
Brighton,  9,   12,   13,  15,  54,  156,  1S6, 

215,  216 
Bristow,  Mr,,  145,  146,  231 
Broadlands,  Hants,  59,  67,  123 
Brown,  Emma,  40,  69,  153,  208 
Brown,  Ford  Madox,   14,   35,  49,  63, 

68,   69,  70,   81,  83,   121,   128,   131, 

I33>    151,    158,   191,    192,    196-199, 
207,  232 
Brown,   Ford  Madox,  Bust  of  D.   G. 
Rossetti,  by,  152,  153 


236 


INDEX 


Brown,  Ford   Madox,  Grave-cross  for 

D.  G.Rossetti,  by,  145 
Brown,  Oliver  Madox,  32,  46,  47,  48 

,,  The  Black  Swan,  by,  41 

Browning,  Mrs.,  31,  212 

,,  Portuguese    Sonnets,    by, 

97,  98 
Brownlovv-Byron,  Miss,  60 
Bull,  Miss,  196 

Burcham,  R.  P.,  206,  22S,  229 
Burdett-Coutts,  Baroness,  88 
Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  227 
Burne-Jones,  Margaret  (see  MacKail) 

,,  Sir  Edward,  86,  128,  136 

Burrows,  Canon,  102,  217 


Caine,  Hall,  80,  95,  98,  99,  ico,  108, 

109,  112,   114,   127,  222,  223,  225- 

228 
Caine,  Hall,  Lecture  on  D.  G.  Rossetti, 

by,  80,  81 
Caine,    Hall,   RecoUections    of  D.    G. 

Rossetti,  by,  122 
Caine,  Lily,  108,  109,  223 
Casey,  Madame,  151 
Catchpole,  Sarah,  233 
Cayley,  Charles  B.,  xi,  xii,  14,  29,  34, 

55,  56,  97,  122,  138,  139,  142,  212, 

213,  223,  226,  227,  229,  230 
Cayley,     Charles    B.,    Translation    of 

Dante,  by,  14,  15 
Cayley,    Charles    B.,    Translation    of 

Homer,  by,  63,  64,  124 
Cayley,    Charles    B.,    Translation    of 

Petrarca,  by,  76,  77 
Cayley,  Henrietta,  27,  203 

,,         Henry,  203 

,,         Marj',  203 

„         Mrs.,  56 

,,        Professor,  142,  143,  230 

,,        Sophie,  27,  203,  230 
Cerbara,  38 
Chaillu,  P.  J.  du,  26 
Charlotte  Street,  38,  London,  ix 

,,  50,  London,  x 

Chatham  Place,  14,  London,  134,  136 
Cheyne  Walk,    16,   London,   37,    118, 

152,  226,  227,  232 
Christ  Church,  Woburn  Square,  213 


Ciocci,  Signor,  15 

Clifton,  49 

Cole,  Isabella,  143,  144,  145,  163,  229 

Collins,  Wilkie,  118 

,,  The  Moonstone,  by,  118 

Collinson,  Charles,  7,  9 

,,         James,  x,  2,  4,  8,  10,  12,  13, 

222 
,,  Portrait  of  Christina  Ros- 

setti, by,  2,  3 
,,  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary, 

by,  12,  13,  14,  172 
,,  Mary,  2-10,  222 

Mrs.,  2,  3,  4 
,,  Mrs.  Charles,  2,  8,  10 

Cowper-Temple,     Mrs.     {see     Mount- 
Temple) 
Craik,  Mr.,  119,  120 
Crayon,  The  (review),  26 
Crellin,  Dr.,  217 
Critic,  The  (review),  14,  16 
Cumberland,  99,  100 


D 

Daily  Chronicle,  The,  74 
Dalziel,  Messrs.,  207,  208 
Dante,  38,  126,  135,  184 

,,       Divina  Commedia,  by,  38,  SS, 
184 
Darblay,  Madame,  57 

,,  Diaries,  &c.  of,  57 

Davies,  William,  194 

,,  Meinoir  of  James  Smetham, 

by,  194 
Deacon,  Rev.  Mr.,  131,  143,  144 
Dickinson,  Emily,    176 

,,  Poems,  by,  176 

Dilberoglue,  Stauros,  37 

Dixon,  Canon,  48 

,,  Poe/ns,  by,  48 

„       Thomas,  86,  87 

Dodgson,  Rev.  C.  L.,  121 

, ,  The  Nursery  Alice,  by,  1 76 

Duclaux,  Madame,  130 

,,  Emily Bronte,hy,  12,0,  IZ^ 

Dunn,  H.  Treffry,  35,  59,  67,  68,  lOo 
, ,  Watercolours  of  Cheyne  Walk, 

by,  226 


INDEX 


237 


Eastbourne,  56,  57 

Edinburgh,  12,  15 

Eliot,  George,  97,  109,  1 10 

Eliza,  Sister,  61,  62,  106 

Ellis,  F.  S.,  129 

Eminent  Women  (series),  107,  126,  212 

Endsleigh  Gardens,  5,  London,  xi,  211, 

216 
Euston  Square  (sed  Endsleigh  Gardens) 


Florence,  67,  215,  229 
Ford,  Onslow,  143,  144,  146 
Foster  family,  9 
Fox,  Dr.  Wilson,  38,  208,  209 
Eraser,  F.  A.,  207 
Frescobaldi,  Dino,  30 

,,  Sonnet  by,  30 

Freshwater,  25 
Frome,  x,  22,  206 


G 

Galzini,  A.,  179 
Gamberale,  Luigi,  75 

,,  Translations  from  Dante 

and  Christina  Rossetti, 

by.  75.  94.  95 
Gardner,  Mrs.,  143 
Garnett,  Mrs.,  201 
Garrido,  76,  77 
Gemmer,  Mrs.,  109,  no 
Genoa,  202 

Germ,  The,  x,  3,  4,  6,  7,  1 1,  12,  15,  16 
Gilchrist,  Herbert,  226 
Gilfillan,  Rev.  George,  17 
Gill,  William,  76,  202,  228 
Gladstone,  W.  E.,  64,  175 
Gloucester,  18 
Goldsmith,  Oliver,  210 

, ,  History  of  Greece,  by ,  2 1  o 

Graphic,  The,  189 
Gray,  Dr.,  26,  27 
Greenwell,  Dora,  48,  49,  51 

Mrs.,  49 
Greenwood,  Mr.,  176 
Giey,  Fanny,  18,  19 


Grindrod,  Dr.,  112 
Guardiatt,  The,  15,  16,  104 
Guernsey,  126 
Gurney,  Mrs.  Russell,  123 

,,  Daniels  Pilgrijtiage,  by,  194 


II 

Hake,  Dr.,  32,  35,  36,  54,  176 
, ,  Her  Winnitig  Ways,  by,  45,  46 

,,  Madeline,  by,  33 

,,  Parables,  by,  33 

,,       George,  36,  41,  54,  88,  89,  100, 
228 
Hampstead,  207 

Harriett  (servant),  161,  232,  233 
Harris,    Dr.,    108,   I14-117,   126,  224, 

225,  226 
Harrison,  Fanny,  24 
,,  Mr.,  24 

Mrs.,  24,  52,  53 
Hastings,  l,  21,  22,;i39,  213,  230 
Heaton,  Ellen,  73,  74,  120 
Heimann,  Dr.,  i,  2,  25 
,,  Mrs.,  10,  19 

Hensman,  Miss,  176 

,,  Dante  Map,  by,  176 

Heme  Bay,  69 
Hervey,  T.  K.,  3,  4 
Highgate,  26 

,,         Cemetery,  xii,  213 
Ilinkson,  Catherine,  148,  149 

,,  Shamrocks,  by,  148 

Hood,  Thomas,  36 

,,  Love  Lane,  by,  36 

Horder,  W.  G.,  95 

„  The  Poet's  Bible,  edited  by, 

95 
Housman,  Laurence,  190 

,,  Goblin   Market,     designs, 

by,  190 
Howell,  C.  A.,  loi 
Howitt,  Mary,  20,  21 
Howitt-Watts,  Anna  Mary,  20,  21, 1 10, 

112 
Howitt-Watts,  Anna  Mary,  The  End  of 

the  Pilgrimage,  by,  21 
Hueffer,  Cathy,  37,  137,  153,  154,  I97, 

202,  214 
Hueffer,  Francis,  37,  154,  213,  214,  226 


238 


INDEX 


Hughes,  Arthur,  34,  44,  207,  20S 
,,  Singsong,  designs,  by,  34,  35 

,,  Speaking     Likenesses,     de- 

signs, by,  43,  47 
Hunt,  \V.  Holman,  11,  56,  73,  93,  136 
,,  Etching  in  The  Germ,  by,  11 


I 

Ingeiow,  Jean,  29 

Ingram,  J.  W.,  52,  53,  107,  loS,  iio, 

126,  212 
Isle  of  Wight,  8 
Italy,  xi 

J 

Jackson,  Annie,  153,  213,  233 

,,         Rev.  Mr.,  27 
James,  Dr.,  217 
Jeaffreson,  J.  Cordy,  126 
Jenner,    Sir   William,  33,   34,  42,  48, 

165,  207,  209,  210,  214,  227,  228 
Jcrvis,  Svvynfen,  21,  22 


Kelmscott  Manorhouse,  32,  37,  39,  40, 

45.  50 
Kemble,  John  P.,  175,  176,  227 
King  family,  5,  6 
Kitton,  F.  G.,  195,  229 
Knewstub,  W.  J.,  158 
Knight,  Joseph,  113 
Knole  Park,  94,  96 


Laffey,  Madame,  163 
Lascaridi,  Peter,  76 
Laurati,  Pietro,  46 
Lawson,  Mr.,  189,  190,  216 
Layard,  F.  Somes,  195 

,,  Tennyson     and    his     Pne- 

raphaelite  Illustrators,  by, 

195 
Leader,  J.  Temple,  i,  2 
Leifchild  family,  124 
,,         Henry,  102 

,,  Ariadne   and    Bacchus,  by, 

102 
Leyland,  F.  R.,  105,  114,  16S,  223-226 


Littledale,  Rev.  Dr.,  44,  45,  232 
Locker,  Frederick,  207 
Longleat,  17 

Longmans  &;  Co.,  140,  202 
Lyster,  A.  C,  5 

M 
MacClure,  Edmund,  1S5,  190,  192,  193 
Mackail,  Mrs.,  86 
Mackay,  Messrs., '40 
Macmillan,  Alexander,  28,  44,  83,  93, 

105 
Macmillan  s  Magazine,  xi,  55 
Mademoiselle  Mori  (novel),  56 
Main,  David,  84 

,,  Treasury  of  English  Sonnets, 

edited  by,  84,  227 
Malvern,  112,  113,  115 
Manchester,  158 
Mansfield,  8 

Marchesani,  Giuseppe,  135,  136 
Margate,  137 

Marlborough,  Duke  of,  174 
Marshall,  John,  47,  48,  67,  68,  72,  113, 

115,  211,  222,  223 
Marston,  Dr.  J.  Westland,  2?,y  223 

Philip  B.,  226 
Martin,  Mr.,   108,  no,  112,  224,  225, 

226 
Martin,  Rosamond,  203,  204 
Maudsley,  Mr.,  223 
Mayo,  Conte  Adelfo,  182 
Meynell,  Mrs.,  87 

,,  Article  on  D.  G.  Rossetti, 

by,  87 
Micks,  Sir  Robert,  194 
Miller,  Joaquin,  34,  207,  211 

,,  Olive-leaves,  by,  211 

,,  Songs  of  the  Sierras,  by,  34 

Mitchell,  Mrs.,  70,  222 
Moore,  Canon,  187 

,,  Dante  and  his   Early  Bio- 

graphers, by,  187 
Morris,  Mrs.,  47,  88 

,,       Sir  Lewis,  196 

,,  Epic  of  Hades,  by,  196 

,,       William,  32,  45 
Mount-Temple,    Lady,    61,    117,    122, 

174,  226 
Mount-Temple,  Lord,  123 


INDEX 


239 


Munro,  Alexander,  24 

Murray,  C.  Fairfax,  59,  81,  82,  91 

Musgrave,  George,  200 

, ,  Translation  of  Dante,  by, 

200 


N 

Napoleon  III,  27 
Nash,  Prebendary,  213,  222,  232 
National  Portrait  Gallery,  165,  178 
Nelaton,  Dr.,  51 
Newcastle-on-Tyne,  12 
Newman  Street,  London,  12 
Nicoll,  Mr.,  107,  108,  no 
North,  William,  7,  10,  18,  19,  20 


O 

Orchard,  John,  4,  5,  9,  10 

,,  Dialogue  on  Art,  by,  4 

O'Shaughnessy,  Mrs.,  130,  131 
Oxford,  180 


Pall  Mall  Gazette,  30,  99  . 

Pallanza,  200 

Paris,  xi,  I 

Park  Village  East,  15,  London,  10,  199 

Parodi,  Signer,  i,  2 

Patmore,  Coventry,  15 

Paton,  Sir  J.  Noel,  99 

Paul,  C.  Kegan,  190,  191,  200 

Pen,  The  (magazine),  87 

Percy,  Bishop,  19 

, ,  The  Hermit  of  IVarkworth,  by, 

19,  20 
Petrarca,  175 

,,         Canzoniere  of,  175,  227 
Pietrocola,  Achilla,  144,  145 
Pietrocola-Rossetti,  Teodorico,  78,  106, 

229 
Pietrocola-Rossetti,    Teodorico,    Sing- 
song, translated,  by,  78 
Pistrucci,  Filippo,  15,  16 

,,  Heads   of  Christina  Ros- 

setti,  by,  145,  146 
,,  Heads    of   Gabriele    Ros- 

setti,  by,  135,  137 
Pleasley  Hill,  Notts,  2,  4 


Poe,  Edgar  A.,  7 

,,         Arthur  Gordon  Pym,  by,  7 
Polidori,  Amalia,  215 

,,        Charlotte,    xii,    17,    92,    154, 
167,  170,  174,  214,  215,  225, 
226, 2^2 
,,         Eliza,  xii,  36,  59,    165,    176, 
177,     178,    183,    195,    196, 
213-218 
,,        Gaetano,  x,  10,  1S4,  227 
,,        John,  228 

Luigi,  179.  215 
,,         Mrs.,  X,  22,  23,  206 
Polydore,  Henrietta,  78 

,,         Plenrietta,  junior,  28 
Henry  F.,  18 
Pooley  Bridge,  19 
Potter  family,  11,  12 
Praraphaelite  Brotherhood,  x 
Procter,  Adelaide  A.,  212 


R 

Radcliffe,  Mrs.,  126,  129,  130 
Rassegna,  La  (magazine),  95 
Rawlinson,  Wynifred,  184,  185 
Read,  Harriett,  205,  217,  221 
Rintoul,  Henrietta,  24,  25,  no 
Rivington,  Rev.  Mr.,  78 
Roberts,  Morley,  182 

,,  Songs  of  Energy,  hy,  1S2 

„         Brothers,  96,  105,  161 
Robinson,  Mary  {see  Duclaux). 
Rock,  The  (newspaper),  189 
Rossetti,  Antonio,  144,  145 
Rossetti,  Christina  G. 
Works  by — 

Annie,  13 

Annus  Domini,  43,  44 

Ballad  (A)  of  Boding,  97,  9S 

Behold  a  Shaking,  97 

Behold  I  Stand,  &c.,  18,  20 

Bouts- Rimes  Sonnets,  8 

Called  to  be  Saints,  91,  120,  121 

Charon's  Boat,  220 

Chinaman,  The,  220 

Commonplace   and   other  Stories, 

xi,  95 
Dante  an  English  Classic,  124,  125 
Face  (The)  of  the  Deep,  xi,  185, 

1S9,  192,  193,  218 


240 


INDEX 


Rossetti,  Christina,  G. 
Works  by — contd. 
Fair  World  though  Fallen,  18 
From  House  to  Home,  29 
Goblin  Market,  xi,  26,  27,  28,  190 
Golden  Glories,  84 
Grown  and  Flown,  31 
Iniquity  (The)  of  the  Fathers,  &c., 

52,  53 
Later  Life,  94 
Lowest  Room,  The,  55 
Maude,  16,  17 

Mirrors  of  Life  and  Death,  66 
Monna  Innominata,  94,  97,  98 
My  Mouse,  65 
My  Secret,  55 
No  Thankyou,  John,  54,  55 
October  Garden,  An,  70 
Pageant,    A,    xii,    91,   92,   94-98, 

105,  204 
Passing  Away,  78,  133,  134 
Poetical  Works,  ix 
Prince's  Progress,  The,  xi 
Queen  (The)  of  Hearts,  55 
Ruined  Cross,  The,  21,  22 
Saint  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  13 
Seek  and  Find,  79,  80,  81,  83,  212 
Singsong,  xi,   34,  52,  56,  74,  77, 

81,  94,  166,  167,  208,  209 
Sister  Louise  de  la  Misericorde,  66 
Sleep  at  Sea,  97,  98 
Sonnet  to  her  Mother,  84 
Speaking  Likenesses,  43,  44,  47 
Three  Nuns,  5,  6 
Time  Flies,  161 
Up-hill,  xi,  39 

Verses,  1847,  x,  21,  107,  108 
Verses,    1893,  xii»   I90>   I92)   I93. 

196,  201,  203 
When  I  am  dead,  31 
Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel,  vii,  x,  xi,  xii, 
I,  2,  5,  11-14,  16,  25,  26,  31,  32, 
34-38,  61,  63,  67,  68,  69,  71,  73, 
82,   102,    103,    104,   106-I18,   121, 
122,  129,  136,  146,  156,  157,  184, 
196,   197,  201,  211,  212,  222-225, 
227,  228,  229 
/  /  'orks  by — 
Ballads  and  Sonnets,  99 
Beata  Beatrix,  117,  11 8,  174 
Blake,  Sonnet  on,  85 


Rossetti,  Dante  Gabriel 
Works  by — fontd. 
Blessed  Damozel  (The),  drawing, 

117,  118 
Caricature  of  Christina  Rossetti,  28 
Chatterton,  Sonnet,  on,  87 
Chimes,  loi 
Collected  Works,    157,    158,    177, 

214 
Czar  Alexander,  93 
Dante's  Dream,  81,  96-99 
Daydream,  The,  85,  88 
Death  (The)  of  Topsy,  199,  200 
Dutchman's  Pipe,  The,  108,  109 
Family-letters,   viii,  20,   121,  212, 

219 
Girlhood  (The)  of  Mary  Virgin,  4 
Goblin  Market,  designs,  27 
Head  of  George  Hake,  167 
Head  of  himself,  165,  177,  178 
Head  of  Lucy  Rossetti,  45,   149, 

220 
Henry  the  Leper,  translation,  159 
Jenny,  95 
Joan  of  Arc,  108 
Kate  the  Queen,  173 
King's  Tragedy,  The,  222 
Magdalene  (The)  at  door  of  Simon 

the  Pharisee,  141,  230 
Michelangelo's  Kiss,  92 
Monochord,  The,  172 
Passover  (The)  in  the  Holy  Family, 

141,  231 
Pia,  La,  88,  89 
Poems,  1870,  75 
Poems,  1 88 1,  99 
Portrait  of  Eliza  Polidori,  172 
Portrait     of     Galtricle     Rossetti, 

106 
Proserpine,  47,  108 
Saint  Agnes  of  Intercession,  115 
Sister  Helen,  100,  172 
Sonnet    (The),    design,     84,    120, 

227 
Sorrentino,  172 
Superscription,  A,  172 
Venus  Astarte,  49 
Veronica  Veronese,  47,  196 
Vision  (A)  of  Fiammetta,  jt, 
White  Ship,  The,  85,  89 
Rossetti,  Elizabeth  E.,  20,  21 


INDEX 


241 


Rossetti,  Frances,  ix-xiii,  13,  15,  16, 
22,  35,  42,  43,  45,  48,  51,  57,  59,  60, 
62,  64,  67,  69,  75,  84,  91,  97,  102, 
103,  no,  119,  125,  127,  129-136, 
141,  145,  148,  150,  152,  153,  154, 
156,  158,  165,  168,  182,  194,  206, 

209,  212,   213,   214,  218,  222 

Rossetti,  G.  Arthur,  109,  146,  162,  169, 

180,  187,  188,  202,  222 
Rossetti,  Gabriele,  ix,  x,  15,  87,  102, 

106,  107,  143 
Rossetti,  Gabriele,  Roman  Anliquiiics, 

by,  134,  136 
Rossetti,  Gabriele,  Salterio,  11,  by,  134, 

136,  178 
Rossetti,  Helen  {see  Angeli) 
Rossetti,  Lucy,  xii,  36,  38-42,  44-47, 
49,   5i>  57,  83,  127,  194,   196,  19S, 
199,  201,  204,  218,  225,  226,  228 
Rossetti,  Lucy,  Michael  Rossetti,  draw- 
ing of,  by,  161,  228 
Rossetti,  Maria  F.,  xi,  xii,  11,  25,  35, 
39,  41,  43,  46,  52,  57-64,  70,  76,  80, 
100,   106,   no,   119,  152,  156,  171, 
206,  210 
Rossetti,    Maria   F.,    Italian   Exercise- 
book,  by,  1 88 
Rossetti,    Maria    F.,    Shadow    {J)    of 
Dante,  by,    34,    75,    loi,    171,   202, 
209 
Rossetti,    Mary,    119,    146,    155,    168, 

205,  228 
Rossetti,  Michael,  164,  228 
,,         Olivia  {see  Agresti) 
Rossetti,  William  M.,  viii,  ix,  xii,   2, 
39,  57,  94,  124,  125,  155,  159,  187, 
223-228,  232,  233 
Works  by — 
Butler's     Translation    of     Dante, 

article  on,  150 
D.  G.    Rossetti   as  Designer  and 

Writer,  172 
In  the  Hill-shadow,  81,  82 
Jeaffreson's   Real  Shelley,  review, 

148 
Lives  of  Famous  Poets,  73,  119 
Longfellow,  article  on,  119 
Memoir  of  D.   G.   Rossetti,    102, 

192,  205 
Portraits  of  D.  G.  Rossetti,  167 
Reminiscences,  7,  57,  218,  220 


Rossetti  William  M. 
Works  by — contd. 
Rossetti  Papers,  edited  by,  viii 
Talks  with  Trelawny,  119 
Rossetti  Bungalow,   Birchington,    127, 

128 
Rovedino,  Signor,  i,  2 
Royal  Academy,  122,  123,  227 
Ruskin,  John,  19,  73,  86 

,,  Lectures,  by,  131-134,  137 


Saint  Edmund's  Terrace,  i,  London, 
198,  199 

Saint  Jitines^ s  Gazette,  190,  200 

San  Remo,  xii,  158,  159,  162,  202,  204 

Sand,  George,  109,  no 

Sandys,  F.  A.,  167 

,,  Caricature    from   Millais,    by, 

167 

Sangiovanni,  Benedetto,  15,  16 

Sark,  126 

Saturday  Revie-d),  83 

Scott,  Mrs.,  16,  17,  43,  no,  181 
,,      Sir  Walter,  220 
,,         Lord  of  the  Isles,  by,  220 
,,      Wm.  Bell,  18,  98,  148,  222,  226 
,,         Autobiographical    Notes,     by, 
189,  190 

Seaford,  79,  96 

Seddon,  J.  P.,  113,  n4,  129,  130,  137, 
223,  232 

Seddon,  Misses,  130,  137 
,,        Mrs.,  127,  129,  229 

Sevenoaks,  93 

Sharp,  William,  n3,  114,  120,  122, 
225,  226 

Sharp,  William,  Memoir  of  D.  G.  Ros- 
setti, by,  227 

Shelley,  John,  203,  204 
Percy  B.,  177 
,,  Adonais,  by,  177,  178 

,,        Society,  178 

Shields,  F.  J.,  69,  70,  88,  89,  127-130, 
132,  134,  135,  138,  141,  142,  224- 
227,  229-232 

Shields,  F.  J.,  Designs  for  Eaton 
Chapel,  by,  71 

Shields,  F.  J.,  Head  of  D.  G.  Rossetti 
in  death,  by,  167,  225 


242 


INDEX 


Shields,  Mrs.,  88,  89,  132 

Siddal,  Elizabeth  E.  {see  Rossetli) 

Skipsey,  Joseph,  87,  181 
,,        Mrs.,  181 

Smetham,  James,  43,  44,  73,  74,  85,  86 

Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Know- 
ledge, xi,  xii,  80,  92,  190,  193,  212, 
218 

Sortain,  Mrs.,  13,  14,  16 

Spectator,  The  (newspaper),  24 

Stephens,  Frederic  G. ,  11,  72,  73,  93 
,,  Monograph  on  D.  G.  Kos- 

setti,  by,  205 
,,         Mrs.,  226 

Stevens,  Mrs.,  150 

Stewart,  Dr.  Edward,  166 

Stewart,  Mr.,  104,  105,  106,  152,  166, 
168,  180,  183,  191,  193,  194,  196, 
199,  201,  204,  205,  213,  216-219, 
232,  233 

Stillman,  W.  J.,  25,  31,  34,  17S,  207 

Stratford-on-Avon,  181 

Sumner,  Mrs.,  59,  123 

Swinburne,  Algernon  C,  118,  119,  121, 
196,  209 

Swinburne,  Algernon  C. ,  Century  {A) 
of  Rouftdels,  by,  120,  125 

Swinburne,  Algernon  C,  Death  (A)  on 
Easter- day,  by,  120,  121 

Swinburne,  Algernon  C,  Tristram  of 
Lyoness,  by,  119 


Taylor,  Tom,  86 
Tebbs,  H.  Virtue,  227 
Temple  Bar  (magazine),  86 
Tennyson,  Lord,  25 
Thackeray,  W.  M.,  2,  7,  174 

,,  Book  of  Snobs,  by,  2,  3, 

12 
Times,  The,  28,  loi,  213 
Tirebuck,  Wm.,  119,  120 

,,  Memoir  of  D.  G.  Rossetti, 

by,  119,  120 
Tooley,  Sarah,  220 
Torquay,  160,  162 

Torrington    Square,    30,    London,   xii, 
41,  58,  60,  61,  62,  146,  147,  195,  203 
211,  213,  222 
Townsend,  Priscilla,  15,  16 


Traquair,  Mrs.,  232 

Trowan,  Perthshire,  36 

Turguenief,  Ivan,  1S8 

,,  Lisa,  by,  1 88 

,,  Moue  Moue,  by,  189 

,,  J\oi    LSar    {Le)    de    la 

Steppe,  by,  188 

Turner,  G.  Sharon,  156,  158,  216 
Wm.  A.,  73,  179 

Tynan,  Kalherine  {see  liinkson) 


V 

Valentine,  Laura,  81,  82 

, ,  Gems  of  National  Poetry, 

edited  by,  81 
Vasto,  106,  135,  182 
Ventnor,  8 
Victoria  and  Albert  Museum,  133 


W 

Walker,  John,  143,  144 
Walpole,  Horace,  53 

,,  Letters  of,  53 

W^irburton,  Elliott,  24 

Hochelaga,  by,  24 
Warkworth  Hermitage,  19 
Watson,  Wm.,  79 

,,  The  Prince  s  Quest,  by,  79 

Watts,  George  F.,  134,  216 
Watts-Dunton,  Theodore,   67,   68,    71, 
83.   94.   95>  97)  98.   100.   108,  109, 
no,   112,   116,   119,   126,   185,  222- 
226,  229,  232 
Webster,  Augusta,  96,  97,  175 

,,  The  Sentence,  by,  175 

White,  Rev.  Cosby,  113 
Williams  and  Norgate,  188 
Wilson,  Lisa,  198,  222 
Windsor  Park,  77 
Wolverhampton,  112,  114 
JForld,  77/£  (newspaper),  113 
Wright.  J.  H.,  135 

,,  Head  of  Gabriele   Rossetti, 

by.  13s 


Zoological  Gardens,  London,  25 


Richard  Clay  &  Sons,  Limited, 

bread  street  hill,  e.c.,  and 

bungay,  suffolk. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 


Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


29iuai3ftJ 


-;60ct 


le^'lapoifv 


22Apr57i^ 


j:^^C-^  UO 


1^1  At  1  -  lib? 


.»K^»^^' 


'^^C'D  Lb 

^-^  y  mo 


F. « 


28Jul6  0DF 

JAN  1  5  1976  ^ 
IN  STACKS 

AUG  i  u  rjoO   ky^  ^   ,  2003 


TEC.  CIR.    AUG      6   1973 


/»PR  1  0  1983  3  7 


8  1S83 


NOV     31§M 


AUG  12  2000 


LD  '21-100m-ll,'49(B7146sl6)476 


r 


196509 


%i  r  '■ « 


